SERMONS 



ON 



VARIOUS OCCASIONS, 



AND 



MOST OF THEM ON THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECTS 



genuine christmniti 



BY JOSEPH BENSON, A. M. 



I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of Goo weto 

salvatioo to every one that believeth.... .Roto. i. 16. 
I have believed, and therefore have I spokeD....2 Cor. iv. 13. 



NEW-YORK : 

PUBLISHED BY D. HITT AND % WARE, FOR THE METHODS! 
CONNEXION IN THE UNITED STATES 

PAV1* AND THOMAS, PBISTBR8 

1814 




District of Ntn-Yotk, :s. 

BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the fourteenth day of ,-epteuibcr, in (.lie thirty-ninth 
\naroi' the independence of the United State* of America Daniel Hit t, and Thomas 
War*, of the said district have deposited in thi- office the title of a book, the right where- 
of they claim as proprietor?, in the words and figures following, to wit : 

1 Sermon? on Various Occasions, and most of them on the principal Subjects of Genu- 
ine Christianity By Joseph Uenson, A M. 

" I am not ashamed of the gospel of Chki3t, for it is the power of God unto salvation to 
*' every one that bel4eveth Rom. i i6. 

" I have believed, and therefore have I spoken... 2 Cor. iv 13." 

In contormity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled " an Act for the 
f ncouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books to the au- 
thors and proprietors of such copies, daring the time therein mentioned" And also In 
an Act. entitled, " an Act. supplementary to an Act, entitled an Act for the encourage- 
ment of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and JBooks to the authors and 
proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits 
thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." 

T HERON RUDD, 
Clerk of the Southern District of New-Yorlr, 



PREFACE, 



THE following discourses, delivered on different occasions, and 
written after their delivery, with such alterations and enlargements 
as were requisite, and published at the request of many who heard 
them, have all been for some years before the public. Some of 
them, as those on the Second Coming of Christ and the Future 
Misery of the Wicked, and on Sanctification, have gone through 
sundry editions, and many thousands of them have been circulated 
in different parts of this kingdom, especially among the members 
of the Methodist societies and congregations. And if I may give 
credit to the information I have received, the divine blessing has 
attended the reading of them to many individuals, and most of those 
info whose hands they have fallen, have signified their approbation of 
them. They are therefore here collected into one volume, at the 
request of our last Conference, with a view to their preservation 
wheu their author is no more. Thus, not only my friends, and 
those that have been profited by my ministry, may have a memo- 
rial of me when I am removed out of their sight ; but, what may 
be of much more moment, when dead I may thus speak to those of 
them that shall survive me ; and perhaps also to many others that 
never knew my face in the flesh, but into whose hands this book 
may fall. 

Most of those truths of experimental and practical Christianity, 
(the only Christianity that will afford any one comfort at a dying 
hour,) to which I have believed myself to be called of God to 
bear testimony, and which, in conjunction with my brethren, I 
have been labouring, for upwards of thirty years, to propagate in 
most parts of Great Britain, are here explained and enforced ac- 
cording to the best ability God hath given me. The end i have 
had in view, in writing and publishing these sermons, is the same 
that I have pursued through the w hole course of my ministry, and 
that is, simply and only to glorify God in the reformation and salva- 
tion of my fellow-creatures. I have therefore not studied elegance 
of style, or the oratorical ornaments of speech, because, if I could 
have attained to this excellency, and have spared the time which 
this kind of composition would have cost me, I had no reason to 



PREFACE. 



suppose that it -would either have recommended these sermons to 
such, as it was probable, would peruse them, or have given the 
truths contained in them a greater influence on their minds. But I 
have endeavoured to write, exactly as I always wish to preach, 
in a plain, clear, and intelligible manner ; and with such a proper 
arrangement of the matter, and such a connexion of the parts of 
each discourse, as seemed best calculated to assist the conceptions 
and memories of my readers. I have studied also to write with 
some degree of force and energy, especially in the applicatory 
part of each sermon. How far I have succeeded, must be left to 
the public to judge. I am, however, not without hope, that as 
I am conscious I have written, as I trust I generally speak, from 
the heart, so that some part at least of these plain and unadorned 
discourses will reach the hearts of those readers, that receive the 
truth as it is in Jesus, with attentive and unprejudiced minds, 
and in a spirit of prayer. 

This last observation is of vast importance. For if, as St. Paul 
declares, " The natural man discerneth not the things of God, nor 
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned — if, 
" The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God," it 
is not to be supposed that these truths of spiritual and experimental 
religion, which are here declared, will be either discerned or re- 
lished, by those who do not sincerely and fervently pray for " the 
Spirit of wisdom and revelation,*' any more than by those who do 
not endeavour to devest their minds of prejudice, and to consider 
seriously what was advanced. This therefore, I cannot but most 
earnestly recommend to all my readers. 

I must also advise them rather to read these discourses in the 
mdev in which they are here placed, than in any other. For al- 
though they were neither written, nor first published in this order, 
yet 1 believe they will be read with most advantage according to 
it ; as each preceding sermon will thus, in general, prepare the 
mind to understand and relish the following, and each following 
sermon will illustrate and confirm the preceding. 

J. BENSON. 

New-Chapel, City-Road, London* 
Jan, 26th 1802, 



Christ's Commission to his Ministers : 
A SERMON, 



PREACHED BEFORE THE CONFERENCE HELD IN 
LEEDS, JULY, 1793. 



Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every crea- 
ture. He that believeth, and is baptised, shall be saved ; but he 
that believeth not, shall be damned. Mark xvi. J 5, 16. 

i. In reading the sacred narrative of the evangelists, concerning 
the life and doctrine of the Lord Jesus, and in comparing their 
sundry accounts together, it is diligently to be observed, that, iu 
■writing their histories, they regarded not the amusement, but on- 
ly the instruction and edification of their readers. They paid no 
respect to the gratification of the curiosity of mankind, by a 
relation of uninteresting and trivial circumstances, but consulted 
merely the illumination and renovation of their minds, by laying 
before them important truths. Hence, without detaining us to 
hear on what occasion, at what time, or in what place, our Lord 
performed his miracles or delivered his discourses, they frequent- 
ly carry us forward to observe rather, what is of infinitely greater 
importance to us, the fact done, or the doctrine taught. 

The consequence, however, of this is, that, if Ave do not make 
this proper allowance for their passing over unimportant matters, 
and reflect that some of them omitted what others of them relate, 
we shall be led into the erroneous idea of their designedly connect- 
ing events, which, iu reality, were not immediately connected, 

A 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



and even of their contradicting one another, which would impeach 
their credit as historians, and shake the very foundation of our 
faith. 

2. I am led to make this remark, by considering the passage 
before us in connexion with the context. These words of Christ, 
as they stand here, seemingly connected with the preceding ver- 
ses, may appear at first sight to have been spoken to his disci- 
ples on the day on which he rose from the dead. Whereas, up- 
on comparing the contents of this chapter, with the accounts 
which the other evangelists have given, of the events which took 
place between the resurrection of Christ and his ascension, it 
seems evident that they were uttered on the day of his ascension, 
and probably at the very time, when he was lifting up his hands and 
blessing them,* and was just about to be parted from them and 
carried up into heaven. At that solemn and ever-memorable 
moment, it seems, among other instructions and advices, recorded 
by St. Luke, in the above-mentioned chapter, and Acts i. Jesus 
gave them this most important, most benevolent, and yet most 
awful charge, and said, Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
gospel to every creature : He that believeth, and is baptized, shall 
be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned." For, as 
we are assured, verse 19, c< after the Lord had spoken unto them," 
viz. the preceding words, a part of which is my text, " he was 
received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." 

In discoursing from these words, containing, as we see, the last, 
solemn charge of the Son of God to his disciples, I propose to 
consider, 

I. What is implied in preaching the gospel ? 

II. To whom the office of preaching it belongs ? In other 
words, To whom this charge is given ? 

III. W r here they are to preach it, and to whom ? And, 

IV. Lastly. W 7 hat is required of those who hear it, with the 
consequences of their complying, or not complying, with the con- 
dition required of them. 

I. And first, I am to inquire, What is implied in preaching 
the gospel ? Under this head it will be necessary to consider, first, 
what the gospel is, that we may understand, secondly, what it is 
to preach it. 

* Luke xxiv. 50. 



TO HIS MINISTERS. 



3 



1. Kow with regard to the nature of the gospel, I may observe, 
first, in general, that the very word, used here and in other places 
by the evangelists and apostles, in the original, and translated 
gospel, gives us some information concerning it. It means, as is 
veil known, not God's-spel, or God^s-tidings, which is all that is 
signified by the Saxon terra gospel, but good news, or glad-ti- 
dings. Such the gospel of Christ is in the very essence of it. It 
is good news, or glad tidings to the fallen race of Adam, to the 
sinful, guilty, weak, and wretched children of men, even tidings 
of a Saviour, and salvation through him. Therefore, when the 
angel announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, he express- 
ed himself thus, u Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy," 
svay/sXi^ot^cci vftiv £^£<*v fisyettov, literally, I evangelize unto you 
great joy, or, J preach the gospel, containing matter of great joy; 
u for unto you is born this day iu the city of David, a Saviour, 
who is Chhist the Lord."* So that tidings of a Saviour, at 
least of such a Saviour as Christ the Lord, are good tidings, and 
the very essence of the gospel. Hence it is, that when the evan- 
gelical prophet, Isaiah, was foretelling gospel days, and descri- 
bing the message which the ministers of the gospel woulJ, in those 
days, deliver to mankind, he expressed himself in the following 
words: " How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him 
that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth 
tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, 
Thy God reigneth !" This, therefore, is the true nature of the 
gospel. It is good tidings, or good tidings of good : and a mes- 
sage of peace and salvation. And accordingly, as we learn from 
the sacred writers, they that preached the gospel, "preached 
peace by Jesus Christ,"! and bore witness, that it is " a faithful 
saying, and worthy of ail acceptation, that he came into the 
world to save sinners.";); 

2. To be a little more particular. The gospel may be defined 
thus: " It is that revelation which God hath made of himself, 
and of his mind and will to mankind respecting their salvation." 
This was made first, obscurely, and in part, to the ancient 
patriarchs, and by them to the early ages of the world, before 
and after the flood. As to Adam, when God said, " The seed of 
the woman shall bruise the serpent's head ;" and to Abraham, when 



* Luke ii. 10, 11. f Acts siii. 26. } 1 Tim. i. 15. 



4 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



he promised him, that '< in his seed all the nations of the earth 
should be blessed :" and lastly to Jacob, when he assured him, 
that " Shiloh should come, and that unto him should the gathering 
of the people be." But when the law was given to the posterity 
of Jacob, from mount Sinai, an institution took place, the de- 
sign of which was to exhibit to mankind, in a variety of typical 
persons, and actions, and emblematical representations, the whole 
gospel, with its author, origin, and end, its precepts and promises, 
its privileges and blessings, its grace and glory, as it was in due 
time to be unfolded more fully and clearly by the eternal word 
of Jehovah, made flesh, and the Spirit of truth and holiness 
poured out, in all his pleuitude of gifts and graces, upon the first 
disciples and ministers of the divine Immanuel. Wheu this " ful- 
ness of time was come," and that same God, " who at sundry 
times, and in divers manners," had formerly spoken to his ancient 
people by the prophets, had in these last days sent forth his Son, 
the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, 
with credentials and powers, such as no other divine messenger 
ever was, or will be invested with, then the gospel, which in for- 
mer ages had been exhibited in types and shadows, rather shaded 
than revealed, was manifested in all its glory, and appeared 

" Full orVd iuits whole round of rays complete." 

It arose upon the world with healing in its wings, and shone forth 
in all its beauty, splendour, and importance. " The day-spring 
from on high visited us, to give light to them that sat in darkness, 
and in the region of the shadow of death, and to guide their feet 
into the way of peace." It is this last, clearest, and fullest reve- 
lation of the divine will, respecting our salvation, that is most 
properly and emphatically termed the gospel, and that is here 
chiefly meant ; as also, in divers other passages of the New Tes- 
tament, which you may examine at your leisure. 

3. The gospel, considered in this view, has respect to all the 
offices sustained by its glorious Author. In reference to his pro- 
phetic office, it is a revelation of truths, including doctrines, pre- 
cepts, promises, and threatenings, more clear and full than any 
preceding discovery. These truths, as tfiey are of a spiritual and 
divine nature, and concern chiefly, if not wholly, spiritual and di- 



TO HIS MINISTERS. 



5 



vine things, so they are to us the most important that can be im- 
agined. They, 1st, respect God the Father, whose nature and 
attributes, especially his moral attributes, as his holiness, justice, 
truth, mercy, and love, have been abundantly more plainly and 
fully revealed to mankind, by Christ and his apostles, than ever 
they were before. "No man hath seen God," says St. John, t{ at 
any time ; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Fa- 
ther, he hath declared him." " The Son of God is come, and 
hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is 
true. And we are in him that is true." " They shall know me," 
says God, speaking of gospel days. " from the least to the great- 
est." They regard, 2dly, the Son of God, whose person and of- 
fices, humiliation and exallation, grace and glory, are exhibited 
and displayed, by himself and his evangelists and apostles, as 
they neither were, nor, in the nature of things could be, before 
his manifestation in the flesh. They concern, 3dly, the Spirit of 
God, not indeed so much with respect to his nature and essence, 
as his office in the church, and his operations in the souls of men, 
in order to their salvation. These are revealed much more at 
large, and with abundantly greater evidence, in the New Testa- 
ment than in the Old, and we see with much more clearness than 
the Jews did formerly, how he enlightens, quickens, strengthens, 
sanctifies, and comforts his people, and by a variety of gifts and 
graces, prepares them for, and gives them a pledge and earnest of, 
eternal felicity and glory. The truths of the gospel, 4lhly, re- 
spect ourselves. They reveal to us our fall in Adam, with the 
sinfulness and guilt, the depravity, weakness, and misery, entailed 
upon us thereby, in a much clearer and fuller manner than they 
were known to the Old Testament saints. In the mean time, our 
redemption by Christ, with the nature and properties, causes and 
effects of that salvation which is by faith in him, is also mani- 
fested and displayed in all its love and power, glory and extent, 
in this same gospel. Here we learn also, the will of God concern- 
ing us, viz. what he requires us to know, to believe, to experi- 
ence, to be, to do, to suffer, and to enjoy. The immortality of 
the soul, the resurrection of the body, the conflagration of the 
world, the final judgment of men and angels, and the restitution 
of all things are among the important and astonishing dicoveries, 
exhibited to our view in this ever-blessed gospel. 



6 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



4. Again, in reference to his priestly office, the gospel implies 
a free and sincere offer of privileges, which Christ hath procured 
for us by his death, and received, in consequence of his ascension 
into heaven. What these privileges are, I need not now take up 
yeur time in endeavouring to show. You, my brethren, are well 
apprized that remission of sins, the favour and friendship of God, 
and adoption into his family, whereby we become his sons and 
daughters, are among the first and principal of them. These pre- 
pare the way for others, such as our heavenly Father's peculiar 
care and protection, an ample provision for the supply of all our 
wants, temporal and spiritual, with an assurance that all things, 
even affliction and death, shall work for our good. Add to this, 
that Christ has procured for us, and in his gospel offers to us, "fel- 
lowship with God," through the eternal Spirit; which, as it implies 
a title to, and, in some degree, at least, a meetness for, the happi- 
ness reserved for us in the heavenly mansions, so it is also an 
earnest of that happiness in our hearts. These blessed privileges 
of the gospel to be enjoyed here, are, you know, to be crowned 
with the everlasting vision and enjoyment of God hereafter, when 
his people shall be admitted to see his face and behold his glory, so 
as to be transformed fully into his likeness, and possessed eternally 
of his felicity. 

5. Once more : if the gospel be considered in reference to the 
kingly office of Christ, it impiies the promulgation of a variety of 
laws, enforced with sanctions, the most momentous and awful that 
can be imagined, even with promises of happiness, and threaten- 
ings of misery, infinite and eternal. All these laws are wise and 
holy, just and good. They enjoin repentance towards God, and 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, in order to our possessing any, 
even the first of the fore-mentioned privileges, remission of sins, 
or justification before God. And upon those that are justified, and 
thereby furnished with the main-spring of obedience, love, they 
inculcate the uniform practice of piety and virtue in all their 
branches, directing us in every part of our duty to God, our 
neighbour, and ourselves, and " teaching us, that denying un- 
godliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, 
and godly, in this present world; looking for the blessed hope, 
and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ." 



TO HIS MINISTERS. 



7 



6. That these laws of Christ make a part, and an important 
part of the gospel, is evident from this consideration, that Christ 
is as certainly a King, as he is a Prophet, or a Priest, and re- 
quires our obedience, as much as our faith or confidence. As his 
prophetic office, in the execution of which he reveals great ana 
important truths, would be of no advantage to us, if we did not 
believe him, nor his priestly office, whereby he atones for our sins 
and procures for us inestimable privileges, if we did not trust in 
him : so neither is his kingly office of any avail to us, if we do 
not obey and serve him. He is a Lawgiver and a Judge, as well 
as a Saviour ; and while we apply to him, and depend on him for 
eternal salvation, we must remember he is " the author of it, only to 
those that obey him." We are therefore, il not without law to God, 
but under the law to Christ," who, when we stand at his judgment- 
seat, " will render to every man according to his deeds, and give 
eternal life only to those, who by patient continuance in well-doing, 
seek for glory, honour, and immortality." Whereas, to those 
that do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, he will 
render " indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish." From 
all which it is manifest, as St. John testifies, that they only are 
" blessed that do his commandments," inasmuch as they alone 
have a right to the tree of life, and shall enter in through the 
gates into the city."* 

Hence it is, that in the parallel passages, by two of the other 
evangelists, our Lord is represented as giving the same or a like 
charge, in different words. In Luke it is, " That repentance and 
remission of sins should be preached in his name among all na- 
tions,'^ and in Matt. " Go ye, and disciple all nations, — teaching 
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."f 
The commands or laws of Christ, therefore, are a part of the 
gospel, or glad tidings published unto us. And that they may 
manifestly appear to be such, God hath promised under the new 
and better covenant, to w write them on the hearts" of his 
people.§ 

7. If this be the nature of the gospel, it will not be difficult to 
say, what is implied in preaching it. It is undoubtedly, first, to 

* Rev, xxii. 14. f Luke xxiv. 47. % Math, xxviii. 20 
| Ter. xxxi. 31. and Heb. viii. 6. 



8 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



teach the truths which it reveals. This must be done clearly , iu 
language intelligible to all, even to the most ignorant and illiter- 
ate ; and, if possible, with such a judicious arrangement of matter, 
and distinctness of method, that while lower truths, and such as 
are more easily understood, make way for, and prepare the mind 
to receive those that are higher, and of more difficult apprehen- 
sion, all may be easily and lastingly remembered. Again it must 
be done fully. Nothing that will be profitable to our hearers, 
must be kept back from them, but the whole counsel of God must 
be declared, at least, as far as concerns their salvation, present 
or eternal. And if we have not opportunity, during the short 
time of our residence with a people, to enter upon and discuss the 
controverted, and less important truths of Christianity, Ave must 
at least take care to explain to them, and enforce upon them, its 
leading and essential doctrines. Further : these truths must be 
taught affectionately. We must instruct our people as a father 
instructs his children, whom he dearly loves, and whose welfare 
in time and in eternity, he has at heart. Love to them, and an 
earnest desire for their salvation, must be the spring of all our dis- 
courses. Our preaching in public, and our exhortations in pri- 
vate, must flow from this principle ; and the affection of our 
hearts must manifest itself in all our words and actions. We 
must speak as those that c< have compassion on the ignorant, . 
and on them that are out of the way, remembering, that we our- 
selves, also, are compassed about with infirmity," while at the 
same time, we rejoice in the increasing knowledge and holiness 
of those that " receive the truth in the love of it." Once more : 
We must inculcate these truths diligently; as St. Paul enjoins 
Timothy,* charging him " before God, and the Lord Jesus 
Christ," to observe this injunction. We must so preach the word 
as to be " instant in season and out of season :" must "convince, re- 
prove, and exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine." Yea, 
and in order hereto, as the apostle further observes, must watch 
in all things, that we may let " no fair occasion pass unheed- 
ed by," but may discern and embrace every favourable opportu- 
nity, whether in private or in public, of communicating know- 
ledge. We must be ready to endure afflictions and hardships of 
every kind, in the prosecution of our work, not counting our 
* 2 Tim. iv. 11. 



TO HIS MINISTERS. 



9 



case, our honour, our liberty, or our lives, dear unto ourselves* 
so we may but " do the work of evangelists, make full proof 
of our calling, finish our course with joy, and the ministry we have 
received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace 
of God." 

8. To preach the gospel is, secondly, to exhibit the privileges 
which it offers. This must be done freely. They must be tender- 
ed to mankind, as the scripture speaks, " without money and 
without price." Our hearers must be given to understand, that 
remission of sins, acceptance with God, adoption into his family, 
regeneration, entire sanctification, and even eternal life, are all 
the gifts, the free, undeserved gifts of God, through Jesus Christ, 
and are offered to them without any regard to their merit, yea, 
notwithstanding their demerit. They must be made sensible, " that 
not by works of righteousness which they have done, but accord- 
ing to his mercy, God will save them, by the washing of regene- 
ration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, « and therefore that, 
unworthy, guilty, and deserving of condemnation and wrath as 
they are, they are welcome, nay, are invited and urged to receive 
these blessings. Now as men are very averse to believe this doc- 
trine, and yet, amidst the trials and troubles of this present life, have 
great need of the support and consolation it affords, these privileges 
must be offered them frequently. This should make one part, 
perhaps I may say, the principle part, of almost every sermon. 
And in private also, we ought to be frequently inviting them to 
the possession of these blessings, and demonstrating from Scrip- 
ture and Reason, the readiness of the Lord Jesus to bestow 
them upon all that apply to him for them. All, I say, for 
these privileges must be offered to mankind universally, with- 
out any exception. The high and low, rich and poor, young 
and old, professors and profane, must be invited to partake of 
these unsearchable riches of Christ. " Let him that is athirst, 
come," must be our language, and " whosoever will, let him come, 
and take of the fountain of the water of life freely." For " who- 
soever cometh, he will in nowise cast out." They must be inform- 
ed, notwithstanding, that these privileges will not be conferred upon, 
and, in the nature of things, cannot be received by die impeuitent 
and unbelieving. We must therefore make this gracious offer twi* 
ditwnally, insisting on repentance and faith, as terms or conditions, 

B 



10 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



required of all who expect to be admitted to a participation of 
gospel blessings; which repentance and faith, however, we must 
assure them, are the gifts of God, and will be bestowed on all who 
sincerely and earnestly ask and seek for them. 

9. Yet again on this head. To preach the gospel is, thirdly, to 
declare and enforce the precepts it enjoins. This should be done 
boldly and faithfully. Iu reproving sin, and showing people their 
duty, we must not fear the face of any man, but must regard only 
the presence of God, his all-seeing eye, the terrible day of judgment, 
and the obligations of our office. The Lord, we must remember, 
hath appointed us to be watchmen over his people, we must there- 
fore " hear the word at his mouth, and give them faithful warning 
from him." And we must do this under a conviction that our own 
souls are at stake ! that if we "speak not unto them, to warn them 
to turn from their wicked ways, that they may save their souls 
alive, they shall die in their iniquity, but their blood shall be re- 
quired at our hands;" whereas, if we do warn them faithfully, al- 
though they should not turn from their wickedness, but should die 
in their iniquity, we shall deliver our souls. Again : we must 
speak plainly and intelligibly on this important subject, that, if 
possible, they may have just and clear ideas of the spirituality, 
extent, and obligation of the law of Christ, the gocpel law, the 
law of love and liberty, and of every part of their duty as en- 
joined thereby. We must use every means in our power to give 
them the necessary information respecting both sin and righteous- 
ness, truth and error, that as the apostle speaks, they may have 
their senses properly exercised to discern both good and evil. And 
in enforcing the precepts of Christianity we must be impartial^ 
having no respect of persons. We must be as ready to remind the 
rich and the great of their duty, and to reprove them for their 
faults, as the poor and the mean. Only, in order that our advice 
and reproofs may be well taken, and may answer (heir intended 
end, we must be so mindful of the superiority of their station in 
life, as to address them with proper respect, and carry ourselves 
with a becoming modesty and deference, in all our intercourse with 
them. I must observe also, that these laws of Christ must be in- 
culcated earnestly and awfully. I mean hereby, that we should 
urge them upon our hearers, under a deep conviction of their very- 
great importance, and that salvation is absolutely impossible, as to 



TO HIS MINISTERS, 



11 



<{ those that know not God," so also to those that "obey not the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.''* Persuaded of this, we must 
address them on this topic, a topic on which their everlasting all 
depends, with suitable earnestness and awe; and, if possible, 
must not leave them till they are brought to acquiesce in the 
whole will of God, and resolve, through his grace, to make 
haste, and not delay to keep all his commandments, and endea- 
vour to be holy in all manner of conversation and godliness. 

II. We come now to consider, as was proposed, secondly, To 
whom the office of preaching the Gospel belongs ? or, To whom 
this charge of our Lord is given ? 

1. Although this command, "Go ye into all the world, and 
preach the gospel to every creature," was primarily addressed to 
the apostles, as appears from the preceding verse, yet that it was 
not confined to them, is evident from divers considerations. 1st. 
Our Lord had before this sent out the seventy,^ making, at the 
same time, this remarkable observation, " The harvest is great, 
and the labourers are few;" and exhorting them to "pray the 
Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into his harvest." 
Now these seventy he certainly never afterwards prohibited from 
preaching. 2dly, Some of the deacons, chosen merely to a tempo- 
ral office, such as Stephen and Philip, preached frequently, and no 
doubt, were countenanced by the Lord in so doing.;); 3dly, Many 
of the members of the church of Jerusalem scattered abroad 
through the regions of Judea and Samaria, by the great persecu- 
tion raised against them after the death of Stephen, went every- 
where, we are informed, preaching the word.§ And that the apos- 
tles were not the persons meant is certain, for we find them ex- 
pressly excepted. Now they are so far from being censured by 
the Holy Ghost for this conduct, that this is manifestly recorded 
of them to their praise. Hence we find Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, 
Titus, Apollos, and divers others, who were not apostles, preach- 
ing the gospel. And, 4thly, that the command was not intended 
to be confined to that period of time, but was given to all, in every 
age, that are properly called and qualified, appears from the parallel 
passage, || where our Lord promises his presence to the ministers of 
his word, to the end of the world. 

* 2 Thess. i. 8. t Luke x, 1. J Acts vi. 8. andviii. 5. 
§ Acts viii. 4. || Matth. xsviii. 20, 



/ 



12 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



2. Bat the great difficulty is, who are thus called and qualified? 
And yet this point, it appears to me, may be determined by attend- 
ing simply to what has already been observed, with regard to the 
nature of the gospel, and what is implied in preaching it. But be- 
fore I enter upon this subject, I must assure my hearers, it is not 
my intention, in what I shall advance, to reflect upon the clergy of 
the established church, or those of any other denomination of chris- 
tians, but merely to show what warrant we have from scripture 
and reason, to take upon us the office of preaching the gospel, and 
to lay before this congregation the rules, according to which we pro- 
ceed, in our choice and appointment of preachers. 

3. And first, we have seen above, that to preach the gospel, is to 
teach the many great and important truths of it. Now since God 
is a God of reason, and it is certainly unreasonable to suppote that 
a man can teach what he does not know ; therefore, in order that a 
person may be qualified for this office, we judge it necessan that 
he should be acquainted with the nature, variety, and importance of 
gospel truths. But this, we believe, no one can be, without super- 
natural illumination ; the Old and the New Testament agreeing to 
assure us, that " The things of God knowetb no man, but by the Spi- 
rit of God." Hence, it appears to us absolutely necessary, that a 
man should be taught of God, taught by the Spirit as well as the 
Word of truth, in order to his being qualified for the office of a 
teacher of Christianity. Further: Inasmuch as God is a God of 
truth, and requires truth in the inward puts ; requires that those 
who preach in his name should do it sincerely ; therefore, we consi- 
der it as being of equal necessity and importance that a person 
should firmly believe, or be fully persuaded, of the certainty of di- 
vine truths, that he may be qualified and called to teach them. " I 
have believed, and therefore have I spoken," said one. He must 
believe, and therefore speak. Again : God is a SPIRIT, and his 
word is spirit, and life, and power, and must be spoken in u demon- 
stration of the Spirit and of power ;" and from the heart, that it 
may reach the heart. In order, therefore, that a man may be qua- 
lified to preach the gospel, we believe he ought to have a deep and 
lively sense of the importance of divine truths upon his mind, and 
that his spirit and behaviour should be duly influenced thereby. 

4. We have observed, secondly, that to preach the gospel, im- 
plies, the making a sincere and free offer of gospel privileges. But 



TO HIS MINISTERS. 



13 



before a person can be qualified to do this, it is requisite that he 
should know what these privileges are, and that he should 
believe them to be free for, and attainable by his hearers. Aud 
as this offer is to be made freely, affectionately, and urgent- 
ly, it is necessary it should be made from experience. They who 
preach the gospel, and offer its privileges to mankind, should first 
themselves have received those privileges ; at least, in part; and 
should have a well-grounded and lively hope of obtaining those 
that yet remain. Thus our Lord, "We speak what we do know, 
and testify what we have seen." And thus St. John, and the 
first ministers of the word, " What we have seen and heard, de- 
clare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us : and 
truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus 
Christ." They, therefore, who have not received these privileges i 
for instance, who have not obtained remission of sins, the favour 
of God, and a new and divine nature, are not qualified;, and there- 
fore not called to preach the gospel. In other words, those only 
are qualified to teach Christ, who have learned him; and, if 
•we are to believe St. Paul, only those have learned him, who 
have put off the old man, and put on the new, and are renewed in 
the spirit of their minds.' ,# Hence it pleased God " to reveal 
his Son" in Paul, before he sent him to " preach among the Gen- 
tiles."! 

5. We have seen, thirdly, that another particular implied in 
preaching the gospel, is to enforce the precepts of it, and that 
this must be done boldly, plainly, and impartially. Now, it is 
certain only those can do this who themselves obey those precepts. 
For they alone will be able to speak with confidence and courage. 
It follows from hence, that those who live in known sin of any 
kind, in disobedience to any of the commands of Christ, as they 
are not qualified, so neither are they called to preach the gospel. 
Accordingly, " unto the wicked, God saith, What hast thou to 
do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant 
in thy mouth ? seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my 
words behind thee.";); And St. Paul, in the directions which he 
gives to Timothy and Titus, respecting the persons proper to be 
chosen to the pastoral office, requires, first of all, that they should 
be blameless, viz. at least as to their outward conduct, standing at 

* Eph. iv. 20, 24. f Gal i. 16, % Psalm I. 16, 17, 



14 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



a distance from all known siu, whether of omission or commission 
All these qualifications are essentially necessary, and without them, 
it is absurd to suppose, that any person is called of God to preach 
his gospel. 

6. But there are other endowments also, which, although some 
of them be of an inferior nature, are yet not to be overlooked. 
For instance, it is to be observed, that the preachers of the gos- 
pel are to address rational creatures, possessed of minds to be in- 
formed, judgments to be convinced, consciences to be pierced, 
wills to be persuaded, fears to be alarmed, hopes to be excited, af- 
fections to be won; and heuce we may infer, that it is necessary 
they should be qualified to speak in an intelligible, convincing, 
persuasive, and affecting manner, and that therefore, they ought to 
possess a degree, at least of elocution, and eveu of eloquence. Add 
to this, that as many persons will, if not statedly, yet occasionally, 
hear them, who will be sensible of any impropriety of language, 
weakness of argument, or misinterpretation of scripture, it is, if 
not absolutely necessary, yet very desirable, that they should be 
persons of good sense, well acquainted with the scriptures, and 
with divinity, and able to speak their own language gramma- 
tically. 

7. It is, however, of much more importance to observe, that 
as their success in their labours, depends entirely on the presence 
and blessing of the Lord Jesus, it is above all necessary that they 
should ensure these ; " Without me," says the Lord Jesus to all 
his followers, and especially to the ministers of his gospel, sent 
forth to enlighten and convert the nations, " ye can do nothing.' 9 
" We are not sufficient of ourselves, says St. Paul, *'to think any 
thins as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God ; who hath 
made us able," or rather (tKetvave,) suitable, fit, or proper, 4< minis- 
ters of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for 
the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." This one circum- 
stance, that the preachers of the gospel are to be ministers of the 
Spirit, that they are to communicate, not merely the literal, 
but also the spiritual and experimental knowledge of the gospel, 
demonstrates that they need, and can do nothing to purpose, with- 
out the Lord's presence and influence. This he hath accordingly 
promised to all that are called by him, declaring to them, " jLo, I 
am with you always, even unto the end of the world*" 



TO HIS MINISTERS, 



15 



8. Those called and sent by him, I say; for it is not to be sup- 
posed that he will be present with, or that he will give success to, 
the labours of those he has cot called nor sent. This leads me to 
observe, that it is not only necessary that a teacher of Christianity 
should have the fore-mentioned qualifications, but that he should 
be properly called to the work. Thus the Lord Jesus called the 
twelve, and the seventy, and afterwards said, " Separate me Bar- 
nabas and Saul to the work w hereunto I have called them. v 
Hence the church of England requires the candidate for holy or- 
ders, to declare that he trusts he is moved by the Holy Ghost to 
" take upon him that office and ministry." Now, though it may 
not be easy to define this call, it will be readily allowed, that it 
must, at least, imply, through the influence of the Holy Ghost, 
first, a fervent love to souls, and a deep concern for their salvation. 
Secondly, A fervent love to the Lord Jesus, and an earnest desire 
to advance his honour aud interest in the world. Thirdly, A single 
eye to the glory of God, in the salvation of souls, excluding ail 
worldly, carnal, and selfish views, such as a regard to wealth, ho- 
nour, pleasure, or ease. Fourthly, A willingness to endure any 
hardship or suffering, a man may meet with in the execution of his 
office. Fifthly, a persuasion that he is called, by whatever means 
that persuasion may be produced; and an attraction of mind to the 
work, which, however, may be mixed, sometimes with great reluc- 
tance, arising from a sense of his un worthiness of so high and holy 
a calling, and unfitness for so difficult and important an office. 

9. But lest a man should mistake in this matter, and imagine he 
is called to the work of the ministry, when he is not; added to this 
internal, it seems necessary that he should also have an external 
call. The people of God should hear him, should judge of his 
qualifications for the work, and bear witness to the success of his 
endeavours in the conversion of some souls from sin to righteous- 
ness, aud in the edification of others. And his brethren in the mi- 
nistry should also hear him, converse with him, and make diligent 
inquiry concerning his acquaintance with, and experience in divine 
things ; as also, concerning his behaviour among men, and his rea- 
sons for believing it his duty to preach the gospel. And, if they 
judge him qualified and called to that blessed work, they should, in 
a solemn manner, with prayer and fasting, set him apart for it. 
Thus, when the Lord Jesus said, by the Holy Ghost, « separate me 



16 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them," 
the other prophets and teachers, in the church at Antioch, " fasted 
and prayed, and laid their hands on them." And thus St. Paul 
appointed Timothy and Titus to " ordain elders in every city." 
The reason of this is obvious ; the knowledge and experience of 
those that are already in the ministry, renders them best qualified 
to judge of the call and qualifications of such as are candidates, 
while a peculiar blessing must attend their advice and prayers. 
To those, therefore, who are thus qualified and called, is the charge 
contaiued in my text given ; and it is at their peril to disobey it. 
ct Though they preach the gospel, they have nothing to glory of : 
for necessity is laid upon them," Yea, ; ' Wo be unto them if they 
preach not the gospel." " If they do this thing willingly, they have 
their reward," but if against their will, still they must do it, for "a 
dispensation of the gospel is committed unto them." But, 

in. Where must they preach it, and to whom? This is the 
next point that comes under our consideration. 

1 . "Go ye," said the Lord Jesus, £; into all the world." Al- 
though some of the preachers of the gospel may be peculiarly 
entrusted with the care of this or that people, and it may be their 
duty to feed and oversee certain flocks in preference to others, yet 
they are none of them entirely confined to any particular parish, 
district, country, kingdom, empire, or quarter of the globe : not 
to the temperate, torrid, or frigid zone ; but when the Lord calls, 
and divine providence points out the way, they are to go where- 
ver any rational creatures can be found that are willing to hear 
and obey the gospel. Like St. Paul, they are debtors, both to the 
Greeks and to the Barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. 

2. But it may be objected, There are not temples, churches, 
chapels, synagogues, meeting-houses, nor any places, proper for, 
or dedicated to, the worship of the true God, every where ; and 
where there are, they may not be admitted to preach in them : 
what must they do in this case ? Must they wait till means can be 
used to induce people to build such places ? I answer, By no 
means. People must be instructed in the great truths of the gospel, 
and must be more or less convinced of, and affected by them, be- 
fore they will ^ish to have places of worship erected, that being 
assembled in them they may hear these truths explained to them, 
and enforced upon them. And although it may be supposed that in 



TO HIS MINISTERS 



i: 



this and other countries Avhere Christianity is professed, people 
universally understand, and are well disposed toward the propa- 
gation of it, yet matter of fact proves, that if the religion of Jesus 
be considered, in that simplicity, purity, and power, in which it. is 
represented unto us in the New Testament, it is neither practised 
nor understood by the generality of people in this land, nay, nor 
regarded. Let these preachers, therefore, go forth, like the first 
servants of Christ, and proclaim the glad tidings of salvation wher- 
ever they find an open door. Let " wisdom cry without, and let 
her voice be heard in the streets." Like our Lord and his apostles, 
let them preach on mountains, in the high-ways, or by the hedges ; 
or in private houses, market-houses, or barns ; yea, wherever they 
can collect a congregation, though but of two or three, that are 
willing to hear. And let them declare their important message. 

3. " To every creature ;" that is, to every rational creature 
of the fallen race of Adam. All have need of this gospel, and that 
in all these branches of it which have been mentioned. Mankind 
being all naturally ignorant and out of the way, and there being 
none, according to the testimony of David and St. Paul, that under- 
stand divine things, all need the truths of the gospel, and the Spirit 
of truth, of wisdom, and of revelation, to communicate the saving 
knowledge of them. Again, all having sinned and come short of 
the glory of God, the whole world being guilty before God, and by 
nature children of wrath, depraved, weak, and wretched, therefore 
all need pardon, the divine favour, regeneration, and all the other 
privileges of this gospel. And lastly, all being naturally luke- 
warm, indolent, and prone to go astray, they need the precepts of 
the gospel to quicken and direct them, and the Holy Spirit to write 
them on their hearts. 

4. And as all have need of this gospel, so none are excluded. 
First, None are excluded by any decree of God. He, as Creator 
of all, " is loving to every man, and his tender mercies are over all 
his works." He is the Parent of the human race, and cannot, in 
the nature of things, debar any of his rational offspring from the 
knowledge, love, and enjoyment of himself, their Friend, and their 
Father. He is the preserver and benefactor of all, in whom they 
live, move, and have their being; and who hath not left himself 
without witness among them, but furnishes them with daily proofs 
of his goodness, " giving them rain from heaven, and fruitful sea- 

C 



18 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



sons, and filling their mouths with food, and their hearts with glad- 
ness;" and surely he cannot be unwilling to save the persons whom 
he daily preserves, and on whom he showers his daily and hourly 
benefits. Nay, he is the Redeemer of all, who hath " so loved the 
world as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever belie veth in 
him should not perish, but have everlasting life ;" yea, whose Son 
died for all, when all were dead ; gave himself a ransom for all, 
and by divine grace or favour, tasted death for every man. And 
is it possible he should shut the door of salvation against any that 
he hath purchased with his Son's blood ? Hence it is that lie is ex- 
pressly termed the " Saviour of all men, although especially of 
those thai believe, " not willing that any should perish, but that all 
should come to repentance," should " be saved, and come to the 
knowledge of the truth." 

5. And as none are excluded by any decree of God, so none 
are shut out by any natural or moral incapacity. None that are 
not idiots, (in which case they are not accountable for their actions, 
nor the proper subjects of rewards and punishments) are so igno- 
rant as to be incapable of understanding the truths of the gospel, if 
enlightened by the Spirit of God, which is free for all, and pro- 
mised to all that sincerely and earnestly ask it. None are so guil- 
ty, as to be debarred the privileges of the gospel, purchased for all 
that will accept them, by the death of Christ, and offered to all by 
the free mercy of God. None are so weak and depraved, as to be 
unable to obey the precepts of the gospel, if assisted by the grace 
of God in Christ Jesus, which bringing salvation, hath appeared 
unto all men, as the apostle testifies,* and may be received by all. 
Hence it is, (and this leads me to the last particular,) that, 

Fourthly, Faith is justly required of all, on the peril of ever- 
lasting damnation. " He that believeth and is baptized, shall be 
saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned." 

1. From what has been said, it will easily appear, both what 
faith is, and how justly it is required in order to everlasting salva- 
tion. It respects the gospel in all the three grand branches of it 
above-mentioned. First, As the gospel is a revelation of Truths^ 
it implies that, in consequence of an attentive consideration and 
thorough knowledge of them, we be persuaded of the certainty 
and importance of these truths, and that in such a lively and ope- 

* Titus ii. 11, 12- 



TO HIS MINISTERS. 



19 



rative manner, that our hearts are truly affected, and our lives 
duly influenced by them from day to day. These truths^ coming 
to us not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, 
and in much assurance, are the power of God unto our salvation. 
For as soon, and in proportion as we thus believe, " we are 
translated out of darkness into marvellous light :" in other words, 
we are saved from ignorance and error, into the light of knowledge 
and truth. Secoudly, As the gospel is an offer of privileges, faith 
in it implies, that we accept that offer iu the way God hath appoint- 
ed, viz. The way of " Repentance towards God, and confidence 
in our Lord Jesus Christ," the High Priest of our profession, who 
by his death hath obtained these privileges for us, and in his gos- 
pel, makes them over to all that repent and believe in him. By 
faith in this sense, " we are justified from all things :" we are sa- 
ved from the guilt of sin, into the divine favour, are adopted into 
God's family, regenerated through his grace, and restored iu a de- 
gree, at least, to his likeness. Thirdly, As the gospel is a pro- 
mulgation of laws, faith in it implies, that we acknowledge the 
authority of the Lawgiver, and yield ourselves up to obey his 
laws, looking to him, and depending on him, as a Saviour, for 
power to enable us so to do, and trusting in the mercy of God, 
through his merits, for the pardon of our daily infirmities and de- 
fects. By faith, iu this respect, we are saved into universal holi- 
ness of heart and life, and obtain " a conscience void of offence 
towards God, and towards man," w ith great boldness in the pro- 
fession of the gospel. 

2. It appears by this, that our Lord's promise is, and must be 
always strictly fulfilled, " He that believeth shall be saved." By 
believing in, and receiving Christ, and his gospel, with regard to 
the truths it reveals, the privileges it offers, and the laws it en- 
joins, we are saved even here, from ignorance and error, sin and 
misery; we are enlightened, justified, sanctified, and comforted. 
And persevering to believe, we contiuue to be saved, and that in 
proportion to the degree of our faith. The greater number of di- 
vine truths we receive by faith, and the more fully and clearly we 
are persuaded of them, and impressed by them, the more must our 
minds be enlightened with true and saving knowledge. The more 
constantly we apply to, and the more firmly we trust in, Christ for 
the privileges of the gospel, the more must we be encouraged and 



20 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



comforted, purified and strengthened. And the more we submit, by 
faith, to the authority, and comply with the injunctions of the laws 
of the gospel, looking to the Lawgiver, who is also the Saviour, 
for grace and strength, the more shall we be saved from the appear- 
ance of evil ; and the more holy shall we become " in all manner 
of conversation and godliness." Thus, the just continues to live by 
faith, and to live more abundantly. The full assurance of faith, 
always attended with the full assurance of hope, never fails to 
be productive of perfect love, even the love that casteth out fear : 
and that love is followed by an equal degree of every inward grace 
and outward virtue. And the believer " enduring to the end," and 
being " faithful unto death," receives the crown of life, and is sa- 
ved eternally. 

3. Now, when the gospel is preached to those who have not al- 
ready been admitted members of the visible church, and when such 
are brought cordially to receive it, it is necessary, whatever danger 
of persecution may be incurred thereby, that they should publicly 
profess their repentance and faith, by submitting to the ordinance 
of baptism. Therefore, our Lord says, " He that believeth and is 
baptized shall be saved." Aod St. Paul declares in words of near- 
ly a similar import, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and believe in thy heart, that God hath raised him from the 
dead, thou shalt be saved." This was undoubtedly the practice of 
the primitive church, with regard to those adult heathens or Jews, 
who were converted to Christianity They Avere not admitted to 
baptism till they professed repentance for sin, and faith in the gos- 
pel. Then, and not before, they were sprinkled or washed with 
water, as a token that they were "sprinkled from an evil conscience, 
and washed in the laver of regeneration." But we cannot infer 
from this, that the children of christian parents were debarred from 
baptism, till they were capable of believing personally: on the con- 
trary, we have reason to suppose, from the very nature of the new 
covenant, as well as from many passages of scripture, and the au- 
thentic records of the primitive church, that they were generally 
baptized in their infancy or childhood. But as this is not a proper 
time to discuss such a doctrine, referring any that may wish for in- 
formation upon th ? s head, to the books and tracts written profess- 
edly on the subject, I go on to observe, that if our Lord should be 
considered by any as intimating here, the necessity of being bap- 



TO HIS MINISTERS. 



21 



tized in order to salvation, in case there be an opportunity for it; 
yet he cannot be understood, as making it necessary for any con- 
verts to receive baptism from the very same persons that were in- 
strumental in bringing them to repentance. If they be but baptized 
in the name of the Lord Jesus, it seems a matter of little moment, 
by whom the ceremony is performed. St. Paul, it is certain, was 
an instrument in the hands of God, of bringing hundreds to repent- 
ance in the city of Corinth, but according to the account he gives 
us, he only baptized two persons there, and the household of a third. 
From this, it appears, both that he considered it as a matter of much 
greater importance to preach the gospel than to baptize ; and also, 
that he judged many persons to be sufficiently qualified to perform 
the latter office, who were not called to be extensively useful in the 
execution of the former. And no wonder, for, by preaching the 
gospel, the seed of faith is sown, which, as in adults it must precede 
baptism, so it is of much greater necessity and importance. 

4. This is implied in the next clause, " He that belie veth not, 
shall be damned." Our Lord does not say, *' He that helieveth 
not, and is not baptized, but simply, " He that helieveth not, shall be 
damned." If a person believe the gospel, with such a faith as is 
above described, he shall be saved, even if, through want of oppor- 
tunity, or his own involuntary prejudices, he should be prevented 
from receiving the washing of baptismal water. But although he 
may have had this, whether in his infancy or in his adult age, yet if 
he do not believe with a right faith, " he shall be damned," or con- 
demned, as the original word is. Indeed, as St. John testifies,* he 
is " condemned already." Not receiving the gospel, as to the 
truths, privileges, and precepts of it, with a " faith working by 
love," he remains in that state of ignorance and sin, of depravity 
and weakness, in which all. are by nature ; having contracted an in- 
cj"eascd guilt, and being, of course, exposed to greater punishment 
for rejecting the grace of God oiTcred in the gospel. " For this," 
adds the same apostle in the next verse, " is the condemnation, that 
light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather thau 
light, because their deeds are evil." Aud, living and dying in this 
state, he cannot escape condemnation at the day of judgment. For, 
on the one hand, being in a state of spiritual darkness and deith, 
he has neither title to, nor meetness for, the vision and enjoyment 
* John iiiu 18. 



22 



CHRIST'S COMMISSION 



of God in glory ; and, on the other hand, having rejected the means 
of illumination, justification, and renovation, afforded him in the 
gospel, he has merited, and from a holy and just God, must meet 
with, condemnation and misery, proportioned to his guilt. For, "if 
the word spoken by angels," viz. the law delivered on Sinai by the 
ministry of angels, " was steadfast, and every transgression and act 
of disobedience, recdved a just recompense of reward, how shall 
we escape if we neglect so great salvation ; Avhich at the first began 
to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by those that 
heard him ; God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, 
and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his 
own will ?" 

" Examine yourselves," therefore, my brethren, " whether ye be 
in the faith, prove your own selves, know ye not your own selves, 
how that Jesus Christ is in you," in all his offices and characters, 
as your light and life, your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
and redemption, "except ye be reprobates?" See that you do not 
deceive yourselves in a matter of such moment, a matter on which 
your everlasting salvation depends; and take care you do not 
rest till that gospel which has come to you in word, come 
also in power, and in much assurance," and you find your mind en- 
lighted by its truths, your heart enriched and comforted with its 
privileges, and your life regulated by, and conformed to its pre- 
cepts. Thus will you find it the power of God to your salvation 
from sin here, and from all its consequences hereafter. 

And as to us, my brethren, who are employed in the dispensation 
of this gospel of the grace of God, let us examine ourselves narrow- 
ly, as to our call to, and qualifications for, the important office in 
which we are engaged; and when we are satisfied, in some measure, 
as to these, let us make it our care to execute our trust faithfully. 
" Let us study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that 
need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Let us 
make ourselves thoroughly acquainted with the gospel of Christ, with 
respect to all the doctrines, promises, and commands of it ; and let 
us take care that we inculcate every part of it, keeping back from 
our people nothing that would be profitable to them. Like the 
great apostle of the Gentiles, while we instruct them publicly, and 
from house to house, let us especially testify " repentance towards 
God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ," with the genuine fruit 



TO HIS MINISTERS. 



23 



thereof, universal holiness of heart and life. Of these things, let 
us take care to be ourselves living witnesses; that speaking from 
experience, we may speak with demonstration of the Spirit and of 
power. Let us recommend our doctrine by our practice, and while 
we serve the Lord with all humility of mind, and simplicity of 
heart, let us be examples to believers, in conversation, in behaviour, 
in love, in faith, in purity : and let us " take heed to ourselves" as 
well as to the sundry flocks " over which the Holy Ghost hath made 
us overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased 
with his own blood." In order hereto, let us "give diligent attend- 
ance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine ; and follow after godli- 
ness, righteousness, faith, hope, love, patience, meekness." Let us 
<' watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of evangelists, 
and make full proof of our ministry." Let us " meditate on these 
things, and give ourselves wholly to them, that our profiting may 
appear unto all." In fine, " Let us take heed to ourselves, and to 
our doctrine," and continue so to do, for in this way, " we shall both 
save ourselves^ and those that hear us." 



SERMON II 



ON THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST j 
AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT BEING PROPERLY AC^ 
QUAINTED WITH IT. 

PREACHED 

AT THE NEW CHAPEL, IN LOWGATE, HULL. DEC. 30. 1787 



But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.'- 
2 Cor. iii. 3, 4. 

\. A. moment's reflection upon the preceding verses, with which 
this passage of scripture is closely connected, wil! cast much light 
upon it, and assist us to understand its purport. The apostle, in 
the foregoing chapter, having drawn a comparison between the gos- 
pel and the law, the Christian and Mosaic economy, and shown the 
superiority of the former to the latter, proceeds, in the beginning 
of this chapter, to speak of the conduct of himself and his fellow- 
apostles, who were entrusted with the dispensation of this gospel. 

2. Seeing then (says he) we have received this ministry, a minis- 
try so superior to that wherewith Moses was entrusted, more excel- 
lent in its nature, and more beneficial in its effects, transforming all 
who receive it into the image of God ; as rue have obtained mercy 
to be accounted faithful, as God has in mercy accepted us as his 
servants in the gospel, and supported us in our work ; we faint not s 
are not discouraged, do not desist from the glorious enterprize : 
But have renounced the hidden thi?igs of dishonesty, whatever a 
person has need to hide or be ashamed of: not walking in crafti- 

D 



26 



NATURE AND DESIGN OF 



ness, not making use of guile, fraud, or low cunning, nor handling 
the word oj God deceitfully, not corrupting it with impure mix- 
tures of our own, (as vintners sometimes mix their wines with 
baser liquors,) not adding to it, diminishing from it, nor striving to 
accommodate it to the taste of our hearers ; but by manifestation of 
the truth, by speaking the whole truth clearly and plainly, com- 
mending ourselves to every man's conscience') appealing to the con- 
sciences of sinners for the truth of what we say, or rather address- 
ing ourselves to their consciences, aiming principally to convince 
and awaken these ; and all this in the sight of God, knowing he is 
a witness to our behaviour in his work, and will shortly call us to 
give an account, and therefore desiring to approve ourselves to 
him. 

3. But if notwithstanding the excellency of the doctrine we 
teach, and the plain, clear, and powerful manner in which we deli- 
ver ourselves, our gospel also (for so it should be translated,) as 
well as the law, be hid, (kbkxXvwcvov, veiled or concealed, as the 
face of Moses by the veil, to which he alludes) " it is hid to them 
that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds 
of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of 
Christ should shine unto them." The Jews in general were igno- 
rant of the law, and their ignorance was attended with the mosi 
fatal consequences; yet still they might have been saved by be- 
coming acquainted with the gospel; but if they were strangers to 
the gospel also, there was no remedy for them, but they were lost 
w ithout hope of recovery. The same is affirmed concerning all 
mankind in general, as well as the Jews in particular. If any 
child of man, to whom the gospel is plainly and powerfully preach- 
ed, (for what have we to do to judge those to whom it is not 
preached?) still remain ignorant of its nature, disobedient to its 
commands, and unexperienced in its privileges and blessings, the 
apostle pronounces in the most express terms that he is lost, lost 
now, and in the way to be lost for ever. 

4. Surely then it highly concerns us to whom this gospel i3 
preached, thoroughly to understand it and experience its efficacy, 
and to be well assured that we do so: Surely if we are wise, we shall 
not rest in an uncertainty here, shall not satisfy ourselves with any 
thing short of a clear assurance that we are savingly acquainted 



THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, 



23 



with the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. — Now 
with a view to assist you in this important matter, I beg your can- 
did and serious attention while I inquire into 

I. The nature and design of the gospel. 

II. The consequences of being ignorant of it. 

And first, I am to inquire into the nature and design of the gos- 
pel of Christ. 

1. It is well known that the Greek word which we translate gos- 
pel, means 64 good news" or " glad tidings" Such the gospel un- 
doubtedly is to every child of man ; glad tidings of great joy unto 
all people. Such all account it to be who are rightly informed con- 
cerning it, who know its worth and their want of it. For it is ti- 
dings of eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, health to the sick ; ti- 
dings of light to them that sit in darkness, of strength to such as are 
weak and helpless, of liberty to those bound in misery and iron, 
and of pardon and life to persons condemned to die. In other 
words, it is tidings of forgiveness of sins, of holiness, and of heaven, 
to such as are notoriously guilty, utterly depraved, and altogether 
hell-deserving; tidings of the highest honour and most consum- 
mate happiness to persons sunk into the greatest depth of infamy 
and wretchedness. In the gospel we learn that God " hath visited 
and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation 
for us in the house of David his servant; — salvation from our ene- 
mies and from the hand of all that hate us; — that we might serve 
him without fear in righteousness and holiness before him ail the 
days of our life."* In short, by the gospel glory is brought to God 
in the highest, peace is proclaimed upon earthy and the good will of 
heaven is manifested to men ; for it discovers to us a Saviour who is 
Christ the Lord, divinely appointed and sufficiently qualified to 
rescue fallen man from sin and misery, and reinstate him in the fa- 
vour and image of God. 

2. But I must be a little more particular. The whole gospel 
proceeds on this supposition, that mankind are in a fallen state, that 
they have lost the favour and image of God, and are by nature igno- 
rant, sinful, guilty, and helpless : " that there is none that understand- 
eth, that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, that 

* Luke i. 68—75. 



^8 



NATURE AND DESIGN OF 



the whole world are guilty before God, and that we are all with- 
out strength."* On this foundation the gospel is built : take away 
this and it has nothing to support it. Deny the fall of man, his 
original depravity, the one source of all his actual transgressions^ 
and you deny the whole gospel of Christ, all that deserves the 
name of gospel or glad tidings. For sure, to deny that we are 
sick, is to deny we have any need of a physician ; and if we are 
not guilty and condemned, he does but insult* us who offers us a 
pardon. Let then the secret infidels of our day speak oat ; let 
them tell us in plain terms that they disbelieve the gospel of 
Christ ; let them openly avow their sentiments and reject Christian- 
ity altogether. This would be acting a far more honourable part, 
(and they too are men of honour !) than under colour of friendship 
and with professions of regard, slily to stab it in the dark, and 
cowardly to endeavour that in secret which they dare not attempt 
openly. 

3. Taking it for granted, then, that mankind are lost, the gospel 
proposes their restoration. It is exactly suited to our case : it is 
just such a dispensation as we want : it is a remedy every way ade- 
quate to our disease. It offers us all that Ave lost in Adam, and 
much more than we ever had. It shows us how we may escape 
sin, and death, and hell 5 and how we may recover holiness and 
heaven, the favour and image of God here, and the enjoyment of 
his glory for ever hereafter. 

4. But all this will appear more manifest if we consider, a little, 
the short but full account the apostle has given us of the gospel in 
the preceding chapter, where he compares it with the law. Ver. 
9, he calls the law, the ministration of condemnation, and the gos- 
pel the ministration of righteousness. By the law there, he princi- 
pally means the moral law which alone was written and engraven 
on stones, ver. 7. and this he calls the ministration of condemnation, 
because it condemns mankind for their violation of it. Had we 
observed and kept it in all points, at all times, and in all respects, 
perfectly, universally and constantly, instead of condemning, it 
would have acquitted and rewarded us: For the law saith, He 
that doeth these things shall live by them.j But because we have 
all violated in one or more points, (and he that offends, though 



* Rom. iii. 11—23. and v. G. 



f Rom. x. £. 



THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST 



29 



only in one point, is guilty of all* therefore it condemns us all. 
And hence the apostle declares, As many as are of the works of 
the law, (or seek to be justified by them,) are under the curse, for 
it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things 
which are written in the hook of the law to do them. 

5. Such is the condition of all men by nature. All having sinned 
and come short of the glory of God, all are guilty before God, chil- 
dren of wrath, and under sentence of condemnation to the second 
death, the lake that burnetii with fire and brimstone. And the law 
considered in itself, in its precepts and penalties, knows no mercy, 
but denounces judgment without mercy. It provides no way of es- 
cape. But the gospel does : it is a ministration of righteousness : 
it shows us how we may be pardoned and accepted consistently 
with the justice and truth of God ; how we may be delivered from 
the curse of the law, and yet the authority of it be preserved invi- 
olate. Therein the " day-spring from on high hath visited us, to 
give light to us who sat in darkaess and in the shadow of death, 
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.f For therein the 
righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,}; God's method 
of justifying sinners by faith in the righteousness of Christ. There- 
in we learn that " God made Christ sin (or a sin-offering) for us, 
though he knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of 
God in him :"§ that God <' hath set him forth to be a propitiation 
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness (both justice 
aud mercy) for the remission of sins that are past :|| that Christ hath 
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."TT 
Hence it is that, notwithstanding our guilt and impotence, we may 
be " justified freely by his grace through the redemption that there 
is in Jesus j" yea, God can " be just, and yet the justifier of him that 
believeth in Jesus,'' he can pardon and accept the sinner, without 
any impeachment of his divine perfections, or any derogation from 
the authority of his holy law. 

6. On this ground it is, that the gospel offers us a free, full, aud 
universal pardon for all our past offences. It assures us, that " God 
was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their 
trespasses to tliem, and that he hath committed to his apostles the 
word of reconciliation."** They therefore, according to the com- 

* Jam. ii. 10. f Luke i. 78. \ Rom. i. 17. § 2 Cor. v. 21. || Rom. iii. 25 
fGal.iii. 13 ** 2Cor. v. 19. 



NATURE AND DESIGN OF 



mission Christ had given them, beseeching sinners to be reconciled 
to God, not only preached repentance, but also remission of sins in 
his name among all nations : In his name they offered, and that t© 
all without exception, 

" Pardon for infinite offence ! and pardon 
By means that speak its value infinite ! 
A pardon bought with blood! with blood divine ! 
With blood divine of him we made our foe ! 
Persisted to provoke ! tho' woo'd and aw'd, 
Blest and chastis'd, yet fragrant rebels still V 

And in order to the enjoyment of this pardon, they required no- 
thing of mankind but repentance towards God, and faith, living 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, both which they represented as the 
gifts of God. For, with the prophets they bore witness that if we 
" draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to us !"f and that " whoso- 
ever believeth in Christ, doth receive the forgiveness of sins ; yea, 
that by him all who believe are justified from all things."}: Thus 
we see it is clearly revealed and expressly declared in the gospel, 
that because of what Christ hath done and suffered, the moment we 
truly believe on him, (viz. with a penitent and loving heart,) " God 
is merciful to our unrighteousness, and our sins and iniquities he 
remembers no more." He treats us as though we had never offend- 
ed, accepts us through the Beloved into the number of his children, 
and we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith,}: even the 
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 

7. This leads me to speak of another principal blessing of the 
gospel, concerning which also we are informed in the former chap- 
ter, where, ver. 7, the apostle calls the law the ministration of death, 
and (ver. 8.) the gospel the ministration of the Spirit. He calls 
the law the ministration of death, not only because it condemned 
wilful transgressors to temporal death, and condemns us all to the 
second death ; but also because in consequence of our violation of 
it we are deprived of union with God, in which our spiritual life 
as much consists, as our natural life in the union of soul and body. 
Our sins have separated between us and our God; we are alien- 
ated from the life of God, and of consequence are spiritually dead, 
dead in trespasses and sins. 



* James iv. 8. f Acts xiii. 39. % Gal. iii. 14 v . 



THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST 



31 



3. To illustrate this a little. No sooner has the soul left the 
body than natural life is at an end. The body has no longer any 
sensibility of pleasure or pain. It has no longer aoy sensation : it 
has eyes, but sees not, ears, but hears not. It has no longer any 
power; it cannot move, or act, or make resistance, but may 
be dragged hither and thither at will. It is helpless, tends to 
putrefaction, and is only fit to be removed out of the sight of the 
living, to whom it is now become loathsome and abominable. — In 
like manner no sooner has God left the soul than spiritual life is 
at an end. The soul has no loDger any sensibility of sin, its evil 
nature and dreadful tendency ; any conscious grief when overtaken 
by it, or joy when preserved from it. It has no longer (if I may 
so speak) any spiritual sensation : it sees not by faith him that is 
invisible, hears not the voice of Christ, nor feels the powers of the 
world to come. In other words, it has no saving knowledge in di- 
Tine things ; God, and the things of God, are concealed from it. 
It has no longer any power; it cannot move one step heavenward, 
perform any thing properly good, nor resist and conquer tempta- 
tion ; but the devil, the world, and the flesh, drag it hither and thi- 
ther, at pleasure and uncontrolled. It is helpless, corrupted by sin, 
filthy and polluted, and only fit to be removed out of the sight (as 
it were) of an holy God, to w hom it is now become abominable, and 
buried in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. 

9. In this condition the moral law leaves mankind. Considered 
in itself as a covenant of works, it points us to no remedy, but rather 
pronounces us incurable, and our case desperate. Not so the gos- 
pel; it is a ministration of the Spirit. It informs us of, and offers 
to us the Holy Spirit of God, whose office it is to restore our souls 
to spiritual life, and heal all the diseases which by sin we have 
contracted. Therein we are told that when Christ " ascended up on 
high and led captivity captive, he received gifts for men, even for 
the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among them,""* that 
in him "all fulness dwells, and that out of his fulness we may re- 
ceive grace for grace."f Therein we are informed of the {< saving 
grace of God appearing to all men," and of "the true light enlighten- 
ing every man that cometh into the world. "J And we are assured 
if we do not quench this light and reject this grace, it shall be im- 
parted more and more to guide, renew, and comfort us. For in the 

* Psal, lxviii. 18. Eph. iv. 8. f John i. lt>. J Tit. ii. 11, John i. 9 



32 



jSATURE AND DESIGN OF 



gospel Christ offers " to baptize us with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire," to " live in us, that we may live also," to fi quicken us, and 
raise us up, and make us sit together with himself in heavenly 
places." He promises, if we will " come to him arid drink, out of 
our belly," (figuratively speaking) " shall flow rivers of living 
water, '* such abundance of spiritual life shall we possess, that it 
shall overflow (as it were) for the quickening and refreshment of 
others ; yea, he assures us (if we ask) he " will give us living 
water, and that water shall be in us a well of water springing up to 
life eterual."t Now " all this he speaks of the Spirit which they 
who believe on him do receive," that Spirit which is offered in the 
gospel, and which accompanying its truths when delivered, renders 
them the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. 

10. By this Spirit we are again united to God, and put in pos- 
session of spiritual life. Our eyes are opened, and we see the 
dreadful situation we are in by nature and practice; we discover 
the ruin that hangs over our guilty heads, and threatens to bury us 
in eternal destruction. Our deaf ears are unstopped, arid we hear 
the voice of him " that raisetk the dead, and calleth things that are 
not as though they were" calleth us to come forth out of the grave 
of sin that we may live a new life, a life hid with Christ in God. 
I mean, our understanding is enlightened with the light of life, and 
we are made acquainted with things spiritual and divine, which, 
while destitute of the Spirit, we could not discern. Our conscience 
also is roused from its lethargy, and we are convinced of sin and 
of righteousness. We are now no longer insensible of grief and 
pain on account of the sins we have committed, and the puuishment 
we have deserved; or of joy and delight, on account of what Christ 
hath done and suffered for us, and the prospect of eternal glory he 
hath opened to our view. But we feel the most tender and lively 
affections, excited by the things of God, which before we could 
contemplate with total unconcern. 

1 1 . The Holy Spirit has stripped sin of its disguise, and behold- 
ing the monster in all its deformity and mischief, we fear and trem- 
ble at the thoughts of our former danger from it, and are distressed 
for our foolish and wicked intimacy with so destructive an enemy. 
Holiness is now unmasked, and blooming in all its beauty, kindles 
in our hearts the most fervent love to, and inflames our souls with 

* John vii. 37, 3&. f John iv. 10, 14. 



THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST 



33 



the warmest desires after an object so incomparably excellent and 
worthy of our highest regard. We lament and are amazed at our 
former indifference, and resolve to make amends (so to speak) for 
what is past, by the most careful attention to, and diligent endea- 
vours after it, for tlie time to come. In the meantime, considering 
the great and precious promises, which are all given to us, that we 
may be made partakers of the divine nature, we rejoice in hope of 
possessing, «to our entire and endless satisfaction, this holiness so 
amiable in our eyes. 

12. In hope of possessing it, did I say ? Nay, we rejoice in the 
actual possession of it in a great degree. For, being " in Christ, we 
are new creatures, old things are done away and all things in us are 
become new." Sin hath not dominion over us, which in time past 
ft had, because we are not under the law (the covenant of works 
which killeth, nor the Mosaic dispensation which was imperfect,) 
but under grace, a dispensation of pardoning mercy, which giveth 
life. And of divine influences which save from sin. This cove- 
nant of grace, which is the " law of the Spirit of Life from Christ 
Jesus, hath made us free from the law of sin and death :" and be- 
ing hereby « made free from sin, we become servants to God, bear 
fruit unto holiness, and the end is everlasting life."* For through 
a faith of the operation of God, (the grand means of sanctification 
as well as justification,) being persuaded of God's true and faith- 
ful promises, and relying upon him for the accomplishment of them, 
we derive the Spirit of life, of light, and power into our souls, and 
assisted by his all-sufficient grace, " we cleanse ourselves from all 
filthiness of flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God." 
Believing, we love, and loving, we obey : our obedience is sincere, 
universal, constant, and persevering; we pay a due respect to all 
his commandments, and become at last " holy, as he that hath called 
us is holy, in all manner of conversation and godliness." 

13. Hence that same Spirit which is our light in darkness, our 
strength in weakness, our life in death, our entire sanctification ; is 
also our succour in temptation, our comfort in trouble, our true 
and only happiness. — We can now rejoice in the divine favour, as 
well as in the " testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and 
godly sincerity we have our conversation in the world."f Our 

* Rom. viii. 2. and vi. 18. f 2 Cor. i. 12. 
E 

I 



34 



NATURE AND DESIGN OF 



guilty fears, desponding doubts, and overwhelming griefs, give place 
and disappear, while the Comforter shines forth, in all his radiant 
glory, and revives and cheers our drooping hearts. Through his 
agency the fogs and mists of ignorance and error, sin and misery 9 
suspend their baleful influence, nay, speedily vanish, and light and 
truth, holiness and heaven, diffuse their joyous lustre throughout 
our souls. He pacifies the conscience, calms the passions, and intro- 
duces into our minds a peace which passeth all understanding. He 
inflames us with love, inspires with hope, and fdls us with joy, even 
a joy unspeakable and full of glory. By his operation we are as- 
sured of the favour of God, adopted into his family, and prepared 
for the glory and felicity above. And though f eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to con- 
ceive, what God hath prepared for them that love him," yet be- 
cause God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit,* therefore we 
do and must rejoice in prospect of them. " We abound in hope by 
the power of the Holy Ghost," and therefore in joy ; " we rejoice 
greatly," (even though " for a season, if need be, we are in heavi- 
ness through manifold temptations,") in expectation of soon possess- 
ing an « inheritance which is incorruptible, and undefiled, and 
which fadeth not Avay, reserved in heaven for us,"f and an earnest 
of which Ave have by the Spirit in our hearts. 

14. Such are some of the happy effects produced by that Spirit 
which the gospel offers, and which is the chief glory of it, its dis- 
tinguishing privilege. In this respect chiefly, we discern the supe- 
riority of the Christian to the Mosaic dispensation. Not but that 
the Holy Spirit was in some degree given under the law ; undoubt- 
edly it was : whatever holiness or happiness the pious Israelites 
possessed, they owed to its influences, and very eminent for holiness 
and happiness, it is manifest, many of them were. But it was not 
given so largely nor so universally as since Christ's glorification, 
after he had finished the work which was given him to do. This 
conclusion we cannot but draw from a variety of passages in holy 
writ, which it is unnecessary to quote on this occasion. One I 
shall mention, which is so plain and express, and full to the purpose, 
that it may well serve instead of a thousand, and help us to under- 
stand others which in different places occur upon this subject, but 



* 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10. 



1 1 Pet. i. 4—6. 



THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. 



36 



are less clear and determinate. John vii. 37 and 38, the apostle 
tells us, " Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him 
come unto me and drink; he that believeth on me, as the scripture 
hath said, (hath testified in many places,) out of his belly shall flow 
rivers of living water. Now this (St. John says,) he spake of the 
Spirit, which they who believed on him, e^Mv XccpQccveu, were af- 
terwards to receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because 
Jesus was not yet glorified." From hence it is manifest, beyond all 
contradiction, that there is a sense in which the Spirit was not given 
before Christ's glorification, as it was to be given afterwards, and 
that this sense respects not only or chiefly his extraordinary and 
miraculous operations, but also and especially his ordinary influen- 
ces, because it is promised to all believers without limitation, in all 
nations and ages. 

15. One more property of the gospel, I shall take occasion, from 
the preceding chapter, to mention. The apostle there, ver. 11, af- 
firms of the law that it was to be abolished, and of the gospel that it 
remaineth. The Mosaic dispensation was of a temporary nature, 
and only intended to continue for a time : it was to make way for 
and give place to better, when in il the fulness of time God should 
send forth his Son, born of a woman, made under the law, to redeem 
those that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption 
of sons." But the gospel is an institution that shall abide for ever. 
As it is the best dispensation God ever made with man, so it is the 
last he will ever make. We look for none to succeed it : nay, we 
do not expect any alteration to be made in it. On the contrary, we 
are assured, it is unchangeable in its nature, and eternal in its con- 
sequences. It is the one, fixed, and unalterable way in which God 
will save sinners while the w r orld stands : and all saved in this way 
shall for ever rejoice in the salvation thus obtained. It will not 
only continue with them through life, as their glory and their joy, 
but through death also. When they " walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, they shall fear no evil" for the salvation of 
the gospel is with them. This, like Elijah's mantle, shall cause the 
waters of mortality to divide hither and thither, that they may go 
through on dry land. And shall it desert them when passed over, 
when in Canaan ? Oh no ! They are then but entering upon the 
full enjoyment of gospel blessings, the entire possession of their hea~ 



36 



NATURE AND DESIGN OF 



venly inheritance : They then receive the end of their faith) the sal- 
vation of their souls. 

1 6. For life and immortality are brought to light by the gospcL 
Not contented within the narrow bounds of time, it launches out into 
an eternal state, and there expatiates at large. It not only acquaints 
us with what shall hereafter be transacted within the sphere of crea- 
tion aod limits of time, but it unfolds the mysteries of eternity, and 
conducts our contemplations through the immensity of the Godhead. 
" It burns the present world, triumphs over death by a general re- 
surrection, and opens all into an eternal state." The restoration of 
those bodies to immortal life, which were reduced to corruption and 
dust in the grave ; the conflagration and dissolution of this beautiful 
system of tilings ; the decisive trial of men and angels at his bar, 
who once expired upon an ignominious cross between two thieves ; 
and the issue of all in the everlasting destruction of the finally im- 
penitent, and the eternal glory of the righteous ; these are the im- 
portant events revealed in the gospel, but which I must now forbear 
to consider. 

17. And now, my brethren, say if this gospel, so surprising and 
wonderful in its discoveries ; so deep and unsearchable in its mys- 
teries ; so alarming and dreadful in its threatenings ; so comforting 
and delightful in its promises ; and so enriching and ennobling in its 
privileges and blessings ; say if this gospel do not well deserve the 
serious attention, diligent study, and hearty reception of all ! 

" What heart of stone but glows at thoughts like these? 
Such contemplations mount us; and should mount 
The soul still higher; and never glance on man, 
XInraptured, uninflamed ! 

Oh ! the burst gates, crush'd sting, demolish'd throne, 
Last gasp of vanquished death ! shout earth and heav'n. 
This sum of Good to Maul" 

Surely this gospel, so true and faithful, so just and reasonable, so 
suitable and advantageous, so excellent in itself, and so beneficial to 
us, is well worthy of all acceptation ! High and low, young and old, 
rich and poor, have equal need of it, may be equally blest by it, and 
are equally concerned to bid it a most hearty welcome ! All orders 
and degrees of men should embrace this gospel with the utmost fer- 
vour of desire and warmth of affection, the most absolute confidence 
and ecstatic joy. But alas! how far is this from being the easel 



THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. 



^7 



How far are the generality, notwithstanding their need of this gos- 
pel, and the blessed effects it would produce if properly received, 
from heartily and cheerfully embracing it ! Thousands there have 
been in every age, and thousands there are in this age, yea, in this 
nation, who (whatever they may pretend to the contrary) manifest 
by their tempers and conduct that they are yet unacquainted with 
that gospel which they profess. 

Now that we may be able to judge whether their character and 
conduct deserves our imitation, it is worth our while to consider, 
as was proposed, 

II. The consequences of rejecting or not being savingly ac- 
quainted with the gospel. 

1. Upon this head little need be said, the case is so exceedingly 
plain. It is sufficiently evident from what has been already ad- 
vanced, that as the gospel finds all mankind in a lost condition, 
destitute of the favour and image of God, and liable to his wrath 
and eternal damnation ; so it is intended to recover them from their 
fall, and to restore them to that holiness and happiness which they 
have lost. And it is a dispensation manifestly well calculated, nay, 
altogether sufficient to answer this end. It is a remedy, not only 
every way suited to our disease, but of sufficient virtue to expel it, 
and put us in possession of our former health and happiness. And 
all who embrace this gospel, according to the design of its author, 
prove its efficacy, and find to their present and eternal comfort, that 
it does in fact accomplish all that it has promised to the ruined 
race of Adam. 

2. But at the same time, be it observed, that as it is an all-suf- 
cient remedy, so it is the only sufficient one. There is no other 
mean of health and happiness ; no other way of salvation, but 
that which this gospel reveals. There is no other name^ given 
under heaven among men, whereby we can be saved, but that of 
Christ, which this gospel makes known. There is no other sacri- 
fice/or sin, which can take it away, and procure for us a pardon, 
but that which this gospel points out. There is no other Spirit 
to discover to us our want of that sacrifice, and to enable us to 
depend upon it with penitent and obedient hearts, but that which 
this gospel offers. Hence it certainly follows, (as it is in our 
text,) If our gospel be hid, it is hid to those that are lost. All 



I 



35 



NATURE AND DESIGN OF 



that are unacquainted with it, that do not experience its divine 
efficacy, remain in that lost, ruined, wretched condition, in which 
all are by nature, and that without help and without hope. No 
other remedy will ever be offered, no other way of salvation ever 
revealed, no other mean of happiness ever prescribed ; but they 
must for ever suffer all the miserable consequences of their fall 
in Adam. They must remain diseased and dead in sin here, till 
they are adjudged to the second death hereafter : they must con- 
tinue polluted, accursed, miserable, till they are bid to depart ac- 
cursed into everlasting fire, which will not purify them from, but 
increase their pollutions, where he that is unholy will be more and 
more unholy still, and of consequence will be the more tormented. 

3. Such, in the nature of things, must be the end of those who 
obey not the gospel of Christ. They sin against the remedy, and 
must therefore perish without remedy : they will not come unto 
Christ that they may have life ; they can receive it from no other, 
and therefore, they abide in death till they are sealed up in death 
eternal. But is this all ? Have they no other misery to dread 
but this, which is merely a consequence of their fallen state ? 
This punishment, thus consequential, will, no doubt, be great be- 
yond conception, and might well deter any considerate and serious 
mind from rejecting the gospel of Christ. But yet this is not all 
the impenitent have to fear. There is further reserved for them 
a superadded and increased misery as a just recompense of their 
ingratitude and rebellion, in rejecting the salvation offered in the 
gospel. For surely, if, after all that has been designed by infi- 
nite love, contrived by infinite wisdom, and executed by infinite 
power : if, after all the unparalleled sufferings and astonishing 
transactions of the Son of God, with the amazing process of di- 
vine grace in our behalf, from first to last; if, after all the super- 
intending care, the awful judgments, and distinguishing blessings 
of God's providence ; the plain directions, terrible threatenings, 
and comfortable promises of God's word; the solemn warnings, 
affectionate addresses, and earnest invitations of God's ministers; 
and above all, the condescending visitations, moving discoveries, 
and powerful pleadings of God's Spirit ; if, after all this (I say,) 
we still ungratefully reject the gospel of Christ, and steel our 
hearts asfaiust its efifkacy, nothing remaineth for us, but a fear- 
ful looking for of judgment^ and fiery indignation which shall 




THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. 



devour us as adversaries, a judgment far more severe, and an in- 
dignation far hotter than would have befallen us, if so much had 
not been done for our recovery. 

4. Concerning this matter the scripture is plain and express. 
This\ it tells us, is the condemnation, not that all died in Adam, 
and are by nature in a lost estate, (although even on this account 
we are condemned, and the condemnation is sufficiently dreadful,) 
but that light is come into the world, and men love darkness ra- 
ther than light, because their deeds are evil. That provision is 
made for the instruction, holiness, and happiness of mankind, and 
they chose rather to remain in their original ignorance, sin, and 
misery ; therefore, they shall be condemned to a greater punish- 
ment aod a more aggravated ruin. This is further manifest from 
the conduct of God towards the Israelites, who abused the light 
and privileges of a more dark and imperfeGt dispensation; a dis- 
pensation established with far less apparatus of grace and mercy, 
and less illustrious displays of love and power ; which did not cost 
the Godhead so dear (if I may so speak) and upon the success of 
which his heart was not so much set. Now was their contempt 
and abuse of this inferior display of divine goodness suffered to 
pass unpunished ? Far, very far from it. " Every transgression 
and act of disobedience (says the apostle) received a just re- 
compense of reward and " they that despised the law of Moses 
died without mercy under two or three witnesses." May we not 
then argue with the apostle, "Of how much sorer punishment, 
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under 
foot the Son of God, counted the blood of the covenant an unholy 
thing, and done despite to the Spirit of grace ! If they escaped 
not who refused him who spake on earth, (viz. Moses) much less 
shall we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from 
heaven !" And <4 If the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and 
every transgression thereof severely punished, how shall we es- 
cape if we ueglect so great salvation, which at first beguu to be 
spoken (not by angels, but) by the Lord himself, and was confirm- 
ed unto us by those that heard him ; God also bearing witness, 
both with signs and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the 
Holy Ghost, according to his wili" 

5. From these declarations of holy scripture, they who neglect 
or reject the salvation of the gospel, may judge what they have 



40 



NATURE AND DESIGN OF 



to expect, even judgment in extreme without any mixture of 
mercy, and lasting as the days of eterjaityt Unhappy creatures ! 
" Their judgment of a long time liDgereth not, and their damna- 
nation slumbereth not ! For if God spared not the angels that sin- 
ned, but cast them down to hell," (though no Saviour died for 
them, no salvation was offered to them, or rejected by them,) 
" and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto 
judgment;" much less will he spare them who have multiplied 
their offences as the sand on the sea-shore, and have rejected 
a pardon, procured for them by the most exquisite sufferings, 
and ignominious, paiuful death of God's own Son ! 

6. And does it not then concern us, my brethren, most seriously 
to inquire, whether we reject this gospel, and neglect the great sal- 
vation offered in it ? Can we omit so to do, and not be wanting in 
prudence as well as grace ? As devoid of wisdom as of piety ? Sure- 
ly, if we are careless about a matter of such infinite importance, we 
show that we as truly disregard our own welfare as the honour of 
God, and are as certainly enemies to ourselves, as to our great and 
gracious Creator. Inquire then, I beseech you, I do not say, into 
your knowledge, but into your experience in this matter, and ask 
your hearts, Whether you have seen your need of, and cordially 
embraced those blessings which have this day been set before jou ? 
Has the gospel been a means, through the blood of Christ and the 
Spirit of God, of ministering to you righteousness and life ? Has 
it justified your persons and renewed your nature ? Have you found 
peace with Gob through it, and power ? Adoption into his family, 
and a restoration to his likeness ? If you have hitherto, not only 
stopped short of these privileges, but have even rested contented 
without them, be assured, whatever knowledge you have gotten of 
the gospel in theory, you are yet unacquainted with it in experience. 
It has not, by any means, answered its intended end upon you, but 
Is still really hid to you, and you remain in a lost estate, and are in 
the high road to be lost for ever ! 

7. May the Lord incline you to lay this to heart ere it be too 
late ! May you feel your "want of mose blessings, which are freely 
ofieied you in the gospel of Christ, and gratefully receive them! 
The gospel has come to you in word, may you never rest till it al- 
so come to you in power, and with the Holy Ghost, and with much 
assurance ! In order hereto, may you seek the Lord, while he may 



THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. 



41 



he found, and call upon him while he is near ! May the wicked 
among you forsake his way^ and the unrighteous man his thoughts, 
and may you all turn unto the Lord, that he may have mercy upon 
you, and unto our God, that he may abundantly pardon ! May you 
turn to him in true repentance and unfeigned faith, a faith of the 
operation of his Spirit ! May you ask that this repentance and faith 
may be given you, and seek, in the use of appointed means, that you 
may find! Thus may the gospel, which is the power of God unto 
salvation to every penitent, believing soul, be the powerful means of 
your salvation ! Being justified from all things through faith in the 
blood of Christ, and sanctified through the operation of his Spirit, 
may your conversation be such as becometh the gospel on earth, till 
you receive your heavenly inheritance, that eternal life and happy 
immortality brought to light by the gospel ! Amen S 



SERMON III. 



THE DEVICES WHEREBY THE GOD OF THIS WORLD PRE- 
VENTS THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL, 



'< But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom 
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe 
noU lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ — should shine 
unto them.". ...2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. 

1. J.N a former discourse on this important passage of holy writ, I 
endeavoured to show the Nature and Design of the gospel of Christ, 
and the dreadful consequences which attend our rejecting it. And, 
undoubtedly, it is of so excellent a nature, and proposes a design so 
benevolent and glorious, that all, to whom it is offered, ought in rea- 
son and duty, to embrace it heartily and without delay ; even sup- 
posing they might neglect so to do without suffering any inconve- 
nience. But when it is further considered, to what extreme and 
endless misery they certainly expose themselves who reject this 
gospel, one would suppose no child of man who reflects at all upon 
the subject, could hesitate one moment about it ; one would ima- 
gine that motives of self-interest^ at least, would prevail, where du- 
ty and gratitude had no influence; and that a fear of punishment 
would compel those, whom redeeming Love did not constrain, nor 
promises of happiness allure. 

2. And, blessed be God, one or other of these considerations tio^ 
through the influence of divine grace, (absolutely needful in this 
weak and disordered state of human nature,) persuade many to 
comply with the design of this glorious gospel. But alas ! this is 
by no means the case in general, (I speak not of Jews, Turks, and 
Heathens, but of professing Christians:) The generality even of 



44 



THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT 



these do, most certainly, reject the gospel of Christ, and neglect the 
great salvation offered by it. Into the reason of this conduct it is 
worth our while to inquire, especially as this may be a mean of 
preserving us from an imitation of it, which, I am sure, is no way 
desirable. This I shall take occasion to do from the words of our 
text, where the apostle has given us a key to unlock this mystery ; 
" The god of this world (says he) hath blinded the minds of them 
that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ 
should shine unto them." 

3. The inspired penman (it seems) still alludes to the case of 
Moses, who put a vail over his face, so that the glory of it could 
not be discerned by the Israelites. Thus, as he has intimated in 
the preceding chapter, a vail of obscurity was cast over that dis- 
pensation, through which the Jews (whose minds also were blind- 
ed) could not discover the end and design of it. Hence they 
were not savingly benefited by it ; it did uot lead them to Christ, 
as was intended. Now, although the gospel be not veiled, but suf- 
fered to sliine out in full lustre ; yet the god of this ?vorld, indus- 
trious to prevent the salvation of mankind, by blinding the minds of 
them that believe not, hinders them from discerning the light of this 
glorious gospel, or from being enlightened by it. 

Three particulars offer themselves to our consideration on this 
subject. 

1st. Who is meant, by the god of this world, and why he is so 
called ? 

2dly. Whom we are to understand by those that believe not ? 

3dly. How the god of this world blinds their minds ? 

1. With regard to the first of these, " Who is meant by the god* 
of this world, and why he is so called j*? I should have thought it 
unnecessary to say any thing by way of explication, had I not 
occasionally met with some who interpret this of Jehovah, the God 
of Love, the Saviour of all men, whose tender mercies are over all 
his works ; as if he, in order to prevent the salvation of his crea- 
tures, whom he hath redeemed with his Son's most precious blood, 
acted the part of the grand adversary of mankind, and blinded 
their minds, by sin and unbelief, lest they should be enlightened 
by that very gospel which he has provided, in his infinite good- 
ness, for their illumination. The bare mention of so wild a notion 
as this, is, with men of understanding and piety, sufficient to con- 



THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL. 



45 



fute it. By the god of this world, the apostle undoubtedly means, 
Satan, who is elsewhere called " the prince of this world," and 
" the ruler of the darkness of this world," and " the prince of the 
power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of dis- 
obedience." This apostate spirit, this enemy of God and man, 
(and not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,) is doubt- 
less concerned to hinder the success of the gospel, which is design- 
ed for the overthrow of his kingdom, and with this view, exerts, 
to the utmost, all his power and policy from day to day, conti- 
nually lying in wait to deceive, like a subtle serpent, and like a 
roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour. 

" He now is plotting how he may seduce 
Us also from obedience, that with him, 
Depriv'd of happiness, we may partake 
His punishment, eternal misery, 
Which would be all his solace and revenge, 
As a despite done 'gainst the Most High." 

2. Some (wise above what is written,) would account for this 
expression, w r hereby Satan is called the god of this world, b/ 
supposing that this Avorld was originally under the dominion of the 
fallen angels before their rebellion, and was the seat of (heir king- 
dom ; and that, upon their fall, as a punishment for their crime, 
it was reduced into that chaotic state, described, Genesis i. 1. 
where we read, The earth was without form and void, and dark- 
ness was upon the face of the deep. Hence it was, they further 
suppose, that when the earth was put into its paradisaical state, 
♦ and man was placed in it, (who they think was created to supply 
the place of the fallen angels,) God did not entirely banish them 
this world, but still permitted them to wander to and fro in it, and 
not only to tempt the human race, for their trial, but also to exer- 
cise some authority over the elements and other creatures ; though 
under certain restrictions, beyond which they cannot pass. But it 
is certain all this is mere conjecture, w ithout any countenance from 
any part of Scripture. And it is plain, Satan may be called the 
god of this world, with sufficient propriety, without supposing any 
thing of this kind, even on the same principles on which he is term- 
ed '« the prince of this world," and " the ruler of the darkness of 
this world," and «* the prince of the power of the air," and that is, 



46 



THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT 



because of the influence he has over mankind in general, and the 
use he makes of the dazzling vanities and allurements of this world, 
to attain and preserve that influence. 

4. Accordingly, the expression here used is more properly trans- 
lated, the god of this age, i. e. of the people of this world, or of 
mankind, while the period of this world lasts. And surely, in order 
to justify the apostle's manner of speaking, it is not necessary to 
suppose that the people of this world build temples to Satan, or pay 
him a solemn and formal worship, although even that, in effect, was 
done by the heathen. But as Jehovah is called the God of his 
people, because they are his subjects, obedient to his will, and de- 
voted to his service; so, for the same reason, is Satan called the 
God of this world. Mankind, in general, obey and serve him, 
and he reigns in and over them with all authority. They willingly 
commit sin, and therefore they are of the devil : his servants they 
are, because they obey him, and from him they must expect to re- 
ceive their wages. They lie in wickedness (ev ra nov^a, in the 
wicked one) and shall have their portion with him. 

5. And this is the case of all who believe not, who have not that 
faith in this gospel whereof cometh salvation. For the apostle tells 
us in our text, that Satan hath blinded the minds of them that be- 
lieve not, and elsewhere,* that he worketh evsgyavro*; (worketh with 
energy, with mighty power) in the children of disobedience, or, as 
the word may be properly rendered, of unbelief. This brings me 
to the next particular, viz. To show, 

II. Whom we are to understand by those that believe not. 

And, 1st. That all infidels who do not acknowledge Jesus of 
Nazareth to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the world, 
nor admit the christian revelation to be of God, are of the num- 
ber of those that believe noU will not be denied by any, who know 
any thing even of the theory of religion. That the devil (how lit- 
tle soever they may think they have to do with him, though they 
may utterly deny his very existence, and be confident there is no 
such being in nature;) yet, I say, that Satan hath blinded their 
minds, and works in them with mighty power, with uncontrolled 
authority, we are well assured. It is something amazing, and what 
excites one's compassion rather than provokes one's indignation, to 
hear these creatures boast of their superior knowledge, and to ser 
* Epbu ii. 2. 



THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL 



them value themselves upon their free thinking, unbiassed, they 
suppose, by popular prejudices ; while they are in reality blinded 
by the god of this world, and led captive by the devil at his will) 
the very bond-slaves of Satan, and the dupes of a vain and deluded 
mind. Surely one must pity the infatuation of these 

" Pompous sons of reason idoliz'd 
And vilified at once ; of reason dead, 
Then deified, as monarchs were of old j" 

Who, as a punishment for their pride and self-conceit, and be- 
cause " they receive not the love of the truth that they may be 
saved, are given up to strong delusion to believe a lie, that they 
may all be damned who do not obey the truth, but have pleasure in 
unrighteousness." They pretend indeed a regard for truth, and 
plead strongly their right to think for themselves, a right which no- 
body will wish to deny them; but alas: as Dr. Young justly 
observes, 

" While love of truth thro' all their camp resounds. 
They draw pride's curtain o'er the noon-tide ray, 
Spike up their inch of reason on the point 
Of philosophic wit, call'd argument ; 
And then, exulting 1 in their taper, cry, 
Behold the suu ! and, Indian like, adore." 

Light is come into the world, but they love darkness rather than 
light, because their deeds are evil. 

2. But not only those who reject the christian revelation alto- 
gether, come under the character of them that believe not : those 
also must be considered as included under the same denomination, 
who, though they admit the gospel to be of divine authority, yet 
neglect or renounce some of its principal privileges, and perhaps 
ridicule and reproach those who profess to receive them, as enthu- 
siasts and fanatics. For instance : If the gospel indeed offer par- 
don of sin and acceptance with God, through the mediation of 
Christ, together with the Holy Spirit to seal these blessings upon 
our hearts, and to enable us to walk worthy of them ; then all who 
deny or neglect the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the know- 
ledge of salvation by the forgiveness of sins, do in effect deny and 
neglect the gospel itself, and are therefore undoubtedly blinded by 
the god of this world, and to be ranked among those that believe 
not. Yea, and, 



43 



THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT 



3dly. We must give the same appellation to all who rest without 
saving faith: the faith which is not only an assent to, aud a con- 
viction of, the truths of the gospel; but also a dependence on its pro- 
mises, and a hearty acceptance of its privileges : the faith which, 
besides a persuasion of what the gospel reveals in general, implies 
further, an entire approbation of, and hearty acquiescence in, the 
plan of salvation by Christ in particular : the faith which is both 
the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped 
for ; whereby we are both assured of things spiritual and eternal, 
and anticipate the enjoyment of things heavenly and divine, alrea- 
dy possessing an earnest of our future inheritance in our hearts. 
lie that thus believeth " with his heart unto righteousness," cer- 
tainly hath eternal life, hath a title to it, and a foretaste of it, for 
through Christ " all that believe are justified from all things," and 
"receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."' But he that 
doth not thus believe, but rests satisfied without this faith, <' hath 
not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him ;" he remains in that 
wretched state of sin, and guilt, aud wrath, in which he was by 
nature, uurestored, unforgiveu ; having a superadded condemnation 
for neglecting so great salvation as is offered through the Mediator. 
The gospel, which is only the power of God unto salvation to 
Mm that believeth, is hid to him, and he is still in a lost condition. 

I now proceed to. show (as was proposed) 

III. How Satan blinds the minds of those that believe not, so as 
to keep them shut up in unbelief, and to hinder the glorious gospel 
of Christ from shining unto them, that they may be saved. 

1. The god of this world knows that the gospel will only be 
heartily and thankfully received (and to receive it otherwise is not 
to receive it at all) by those who know its worth and their want of 
it; and that only those can know this who are deeply concerned 
for the salvation of their souls. This therefore is his first point, 
to keep mankind unconcerned about their salvation. With this 
view he labours to conceal from them the vanity of the world, and 
of all that it contains, its unsatisfactory nature and short duration. 
He contrives to engage and entangle them in such a multiplicity of 
business, to charm and stupify them with such a vicissitude of plea- 
sure, to divert and entertain them with such a variety of amuse- 
ments, that they have neither leisure, power, nor inclination for 
any serious reflection on the importance of things eternal. 



THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL, 



49 



2. Impelled by an unseen force, of which they are insensible, 
nay, which they are taught to deny aDd ridicule, they fly from the 
exchange to the tavern, from the tavern to the play, and from the 
play to intemperance and debauchery. They drive furiously from 
merchandise to company, from company to excess, from excess to 
the stupidity of sleep, and in the meantime forget that they are 
only wandering from vanity to vanity, aad prove by this restless 
toil and labour that this world is not their rest. Or, if on some 
occasion a conviction of this forces itself upon their minds, and, 

" Kind experience cries, 

There's nothing here but what as nothing weighs," 

They summon up all their courage, and exclude the thought as an 
intruding tyrant, come to torment them before the time. They run 
round aod round in the circle of business, pleasure, and amusement, 
only intent upon what is beneath their feet, or eager to catch the 
delusive phantom, which, perpetually dancing before them, craftily 
entices them forward ; and in the mean time, they do not observe, 
by faith, the consummation of all things, the melting elements, the 
quaking earth, the falling stars, the darkened sun, the disparting 
heavens, and the descending triumph of the victorious Son of God, 
who ere long will command, <c Bring forth these mine enemies who 
would not that I should reign over them, and slay them before me." 

3. Day passes after day, week after week, month after month, 
and year after year, and they draw near the chambers of death, 
the repositories of all living; and that invisible state where strict 
justice will examine and almighty wrath punish, with unrelenting 
fury, their wicked impertinence and trifling ; yet still they go on in 
the same silly pursuit, unconcerned and unreformed, as if life would 
always last, and they were not accountable for their conduct, or as 
if this world were their only portion, and while endeavouring to se- 
cure it, they were rationally employed. Time flies, and " on his 
broad pinions, swifter than the wind," bears them rapidly along 
towards the confines of a boundless eternity, into which he resigns 
them for their bliss or wo, endless and extreme, according to their 
present behaviour : But they are thoughtless amidst it all, amused 
and entertained with the objects they meet with in their speedy 
course ; or lulled into a fatal slumber by the even and insensible 
motion, they do not awake to sober recollection, till, cast down the 

G 



THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT 



steep precipice of death, they are shocked to find themselves fall- 
ing, beyond recovery, into a boundless eternity. 

4. Thus (as our poet beautifully describes it) 

K Life speeds away 

From point to point, tho' seeming to stand still 3 
The cunning fugitive is swift by stealth 1 
Too subtile is the movement to be seen 3 
But soon man's hour is up, and he is gone P' 

Life is all trifled away and the great business of life is left undone : 
They stand all the day idle and neglect to work in the vineyard. 
till the night oj death cometh wherein no man can work. They are 
hurried out of this world before they well consider why they were 
sent into it, and surprised into another, before they have made any 
preparation for a favourable reception or comfortable abode there. 
They enter upon an eternal state of existence, for the boundless 
and everlasting demands of which, so to speak, they have made no 
provision, have laid up no treasure. They have squandered away 
their taleuts in sin and folly, neglected to pay the debt of wisdom, 
and now are become bankrupts : the justice of God arrests them, 
and they are delivered into the power of malicious tormentors, to 
be confined in the dark prison of hell, till they shall pay tlie utter- 
most farthing. 

5. Now Satan has an hand in all this. Through his influence 
it is (inwardly upon the mind or outwardly upon the senses) that 
the flight of time is not discerned, and, 

" We scarce believe we're older for our years : 
That all mankind mistake their time o' day, 
Even age itself : Fresh hopes are hourly sown 
In furrow'd brows. So gentle life's descent, 
We shut our eyes, and think it is a plain." 

He engages our attention by the objects of sense, draws the veil 
of unbelief betwixt us and eternity ; and lest that should not suf- 
fice, lest the merciful arrows of conviction, taken from the quiver 
of the gospel and levelled at the heart by the Spirit of Truth, 
should penetrate that veil, he further obscures our prospect with 
the fumes of pleasure, and clouds of prejudice, arising from unruly 
passions and appetites, immersed in sensual gratifications. 



THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL. 



6. But, 2dly. If notwithstanding all his care to keep us quiet 
and insensible, the gracious beams of divine light find their way to 
our minds, through all intervening obstacles, and disturb our slum- 
bers: if we are roused from our lethargy, and awakened to a deep 
sense of the importance of salvation, fully resolved to mind the 
one thing needful : then Satan, craftily yielding where he can no 
longer withstand, persuades us to defer to a more convenient season, 
what he grants it is reasonable we should one day attend to. " By 
and by, he artfully insinuates, you will be in a better situation, have 
fewer hindrances and more helps in religious matters, and will find 
it less difficult to ensure a happy eternity. At present you have 
some business of consequence to transact, some engagements to fulfil, 
some affairs to settle, which do not well consist with religion. Be- 
sides, it will be better to change your conduct by degrees, and not- 
all at once ; to slide into seriousness imperceptibly ; for by this 
means you will avoid the ridicule of your companions, and be less 
liable to the charge of hypocrisy, enthusiasm, or melancholy. And 
you have time enough upon your hands, are in good health, younger 
than many of your neighbours who arc as careless as you, and are 
likely to live many years. God is merciful, and will pardon you, 
though on a death-bed, and receive you to work in bis vineyard 
even at the eleveuth hour." 

7. Thus our sly adversary too often prevails, and what we can- 
not but purpose, we postpone. We still resolve to be very religious, 
but not yet. At some future period, we cannot positively say 
when, we intend to be very good, very exemplary, yea, burning 
and shining lights. And it is well if we are not a little vain on this 
account, proud of our future goodness ! 

u We pay ourselves the compliment to think 
We one day shall not drivel, and our pride, 
On this reversion, takes up ready praise, 
At least our own; our future selves applauds ; 
How excellent that life we ne'er shall lead !" 

In the mean time, he craftily keeps out of sight the uncertainty 
of life and the certainty of death. We forget that our breath is in 
our nostrils, and that we may, like many of our friends and neigh- 
bours, be hurried hence at a moment's warning : that we may never 
live to see that future period we build our everlasting all upon, no, 
nor one future hour: but suppose we should, that God may then 
justly deny that grace to assist us (and without it we can do nothing) 



52 



THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT 



which was before offered, and rejected or abused. But, proceed 
ing oa false principles, we take for granted what ought first to be 
proved, and rely upon that as certain which is, of all things, the 
most uncertain. Perhaps we may live till to-morrow, perhaps 
God may then vouchsafe us his grace, and therefore we defer our 
repentance for the present. 

" On this perhaps, 

This peradventure, infamous for lies, 

As on a rock of adamant, we build 

Our mountain hopes: Spin our eternal schemes, 

And big with life's futurities, expire. 

8. And not only the young, or the middle-aged, but the old too, 
come under this condemnation. — Though they have already 
grieved and quenched the Spirit so often, that they have great rea- 
son to think he will soon bid them a final farewell, if he have not 
even now actually done it ; though they have already arrived at 
the utmost boundaries of man's life, at the very margin of the grave, 
and are tottering over it through age and infirmity, in danger of 
being suddenly tumbled in by the stroke of affliction, and covered 
up by the command of death : yet even they think, " It is time 
enough yet," and feebly mutter, when unable to speak plain, some- 
thing about repenting hereafter. Though oppressed with the bur- 
den of years, bowed down with infirmity, and weakened with pain, 
they doalingly suppose they shall, by and by, do the business of 
eternity, run the christian race, and work out their own salvation : 
— Though their sight is dim'd by age and beclouded with disease, 
so that they cannot see what is at hand : though all their faculties 
are weakened ; yet they fondly imagine they discern, in prospect, 
months and years of leisure, health, and ease, which they will 
spend for God and their souls. Thus, 

" The hoary fool, who all his days 
Hath laboured with continued sorrow, 
Yet still goes on, and fondly lays 
The desperate bet upon to-morrow : 
To-morrow comes ; 'tis noon ; — 'tis night : 
This day, like all the former, flies ; 
Yet on he goes to seek delight 
To-morrow; — till to-night he dies." 

9. But, 3dly, If we are so awakened by the grace of God, to 
a sense of the absolute importance of things eternal, that we re- 



THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL. 



53 



solve to devote ourselves to him ; and so convinced of the short' 
ness and uncertainty of life, that we determine to delay ao longer ; 
-—then Satan's next aim must be to prevent our finding the only way 
of salvation, and to put us upon a wrong road. For this purpose he 
diverts our attention from the spirituality) obligation, and extent of 
the law of God, the universal, constant, and persevering obedience 
it requires, and the dreadful punishment it threatens to all the viola- 
ters of it ; in order that, not comparing our hearts and lives with it, 
we may remain strangers to our guilt and weakness. Thus, he 
knows we shall continue ignorant of our want of the gospel, and 
so shall be hindered from embracing its glorious privileges. 

10. For not seeing our many, great, and aggravated iniquities, 
we must be insensible of the guilt we have contracted, the punish- 
ment we have deserved, and our own inability to make any satisfac- 
tion for our sins, or to avert the impending ruin. Thus we cannot 
discern our want of the atoning blood and perfect righteousness of 
the appointed Mediator, in order to our justification before God. 
Hence, it is no wonder if we imitate the Jews of old, who " had 
zeal for God, but not according to knowledge ; for being ignorant 
of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own 
righteousness, they did not submit themselves to the righteousness 
of God." Again, not seeing the depravity of our nature and the 
necessity of a change, because " without holiness no man shall sec 
the Lord" or not knowing our own insufficiency for any thing that 
is good, we must be unacquainted with our need of that Spirit of 
holiness and power which God hath promised in the gospel. 
Hence it is no wonder if, " having a form of godliness, we deny 
the power of it, if having a name to five, we remain dead :" it is no 
wonder, if we put confidence in the flesh, lean to our own under- 
standing, trust in our own strength, and perish at last without 
remedy 

11. Thus many who have been open sinners, rest in a mere out- 
ward reformation, lopping off some of the branches of sin, while 
they leave, not only the roots deeply fixed in the ground of their 
hearts, as with bands of iron and brass ; but also the unwieldy 
stock not hewn down; I mean, their stubborn will still unsubdued 
by grace, still proud and refractory, and bent upon serving the world 
and themselves. And thus others, who have not been notorious sin- 
ners, content themselves with this consideration, that they are not 



54 



THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT 



so bad as many of their neighbours, and, V If we are not saved, 
(say they) what will become of the generality of the world ?" And 
thus daubing the corrupted wall of their depraved nature, with 
the untempered mortar of self-righteousness, they vainly suppose it 
can stand the shock of death and judgment, when it is ready to fall 
at every thrust of adversity, or breeze of temptation ! 

12. Many, however, blessed be God, are not taken in this snare, 
but in spite of Satan and his devices, are convinced of sin and its 
dreadful consequences. — It would now be in vain for the god of 
this world to attempt persuading these, that they may safely defer 
the concerns of their souls to a yet future period. They see and 
feel, to their sorrow, that they have already trifled too long, and 
greatly endangered, if not altogether precluded their salvation. 
They tremble to think, how the axe of God's justice was laid to 
the root of their barren souls, and how narrowly they escaped be- 
ing cut down, as cumberers of the ground ; a punishment they well 
deserved. They are ashamed and confounded under a sense of 
their sin and ingratitude, when they consider how long they have 
robbed him of their bodies and souls, their time and talents, from 
whom they received all, and to whose service all ought to have 
been Constantly devoted. They are distressed at their folly and 
madness, when they reflect how many years they have thoughtless- 
ly wandered to and fro through the earth, seeking rest but finding 
none, vainly expecting that happiness from the world which is to 
be found in God alone ; shunning religion as a wretched and me- 
lancholy thing, whereas they now see it is the only source of true 
and lasting felicity. And shall they still go on adding one degree 
of sin and ingratitude to another ? No, this they dare not do ; nor 
can all Satan's power or policy shake their fixed resolution founded 
in the strength of Jehovah, no longer to tread in their former steps. 

13. He does not however yet give them up, does not despair of 
working their ruin after alf. But he takes a new course, and alters 
the plan of his operations. Before, he endeavoured to destroy 
them by presumption and delays: now his aim is to effect the same 
purpose by dejection and despondency. He suggests therefore that 
their sins are too many and great to be forgiven, that their souls 
are too much enslaved to the power of evil habits ever to be deli- 
vered. Knowing their regard to the word of God, he labours to 
countenance his temptations with its authority, that they may have 



THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL. 



55 



the greater influence. " You have blasphemed, (he argues,) against 
the Holy Ghost, and therefore must expect no forgiveness neither in 
this world nor in that which is to come. You might indeed once 
have found mercy, but it is now too late : you have sinned so long, so 
much, so presumptuously, in despite of so many invitations, warn- 
ings, promises, threatenings, which ought to have led you to re- 
pentance, that you must now expect judgment without mercy." 
" Because he called and you refused, he stretched out his hands 
and you did not regard, therefore he also now laughs at your ca- 
lamity, and mocks when your fear is come. When your fear is 
come as desolation, — when distress and anguish are come upon you, 
you may indeed call, but he will not answer ; you may seek him 
early, but you shall not find him. For that you hated knowledge, 
and did not choose the fear of the Lord : you would none of his 
counsel, and despised all his reproof; therefore you shall eat the 
fruit of your own way, and be filled with your own devices." 
" Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. And are yon holy ? 
Alas! you are altogether polluted, and who can bring a clean thing 
out of an unclean ? As soon might the Ethiop change his skin, or 
the leopard his spots, as you, accustomed to do evil, should learn to 
do well. For the Holy Spirit is done striving with you, and you 
are now left to the hardness of your heart, and given up to a repro- 
bate mind." 

J 4. By these and such like suggestions Satan sometimes pre- 
vails; and the awakened sinner, giving up all for lost, sinks down 
into dejection and despair, not daring to rely on the faithful 
promises of God through Christ. Fearing, however, lest if they 
still continue sensible of the deep importance of salvation, and 
desirous to obtain it, though at present without hope, they may, some 
way or other, hereafter meet with that encouragement, which 
now they cannot find; to prevent this, and ensure th^ir damnation, 
the enemy labours to drown them in sensuality and vice, or to 
bury them in business and care; and sometimes, though less 
frequently, because he is not permitted, to drive them into distrac- 
tion, madness, and self-murder. 

1 5. He suggests therefore, " Since no attention, desire, or dili- 
gence of yours, can alter the decree which is already gone out 
against you, why should you torment yourself before the time ? 
irhy should you make yourself miserable by thinking one moment 



56 



THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT 



about death or eternity? Nay, rather banish all thoughts about 
these things, which only serve to distress you, and enjoy life 
while it lasts. You can but go to hell after all, and go to hell 
you must as it is, if indeed there is an hell. But who knows 
whether or no there be any such place ; perhaps your body and 
soul die together, and shall never more exist : and why should you 
venture a certainty for an uncertainty ? Let fools and fanatics 
do this : But be you wise for yourself. At all hazards enjoy 
the present, let what will come of the future. But in fact, (pro- 
ceeds he,) the future is out of the question, it is nothing to you : 
perhaps it is all mere imagination ; but if not, it is certain you have 
no interest there. The present world is your all: therefore, en- 
joy and make the most of it. Eat, drink, and be merry. This, 
even Solomon tells you, " is your portion, than which there is no- 
thing better for a man, in the days of his life, which God giveth 
him under the sun. Go thy way then, (says he,) eat thy bread with 
joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart ; let thy garments be 
always white, and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully 
with the woman whom thou lovest all the days of thy vanity, for 
that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest 
under the sun." 

16. Thus this old serpent, long experienced in the arts of se- 
duction, craftily interweaves his nets with threads of scripture, 
forced from their natural sense and misapplied, that he may the 
more easily ensnare and detain in his power unwary souls. Weft 
being acquainted with his devices, they are too often caught in 
them. So silent and natural are his suggestions, that they mis- 
take them for the mere operations of their own minds, and never sus- 
pect he has any hand in them, and so plausible and shrewd are 
his reasonings, that they yield to them with little or no reluctance. 
Indeed, if they considered and prayed to the Father of lights 
for the illumination of his Spirit, they would soon discover the fal- 
lacy of his arguments ; but not considering, or trusting to their 
ov/n understanding, the grand deceiver is too cunning for them, 
and accomplishes their ruin ere they are aware. 

17. This however, blessed be God, is the case with only very 
few that are convinced of sin. The generality, we have reason 
to believe, of penitent and broken-hearted sinners are enabled to 
withstand in the evil day, to resist the devil, and he flees from 



THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL &c. 



57 



them. Laying hold on the shield of faith, offered them by God, 
whose gift it is, they repel his fiery darts and are preserved 
unhurt. By a faith of the operation of God, they see and are 
persuaded that the blood of Christ cleanscth jrom all sin : that 
through it, " God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to 
cleanse us from all unrighteousness." They see that in Christ all 
fulness dwells, that his grace is sufficient for them, and through 
this strengthening them, they can do all things, can overcome the 
world, the flesh, and the devil, " cleanse themselves from all fi!- 
thiness of flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God." 
They believe " he is able to save to the uttermost all that come 
unto God by him," and that " whosoever cometh unto him, he 
■will in no wise cast out." They therefore apply to him, and trust 
their guilty, depraved, and wretched souls to his care, and it is 
done unto them according to their faith. They find redemption 
in his blood, the forgiveness of sins : they are accepted in the 
Beloved: they receive the spirit of adoption, thereby they cry 
<4 Abba, Father," and the fruits of this Spirit are love, joy, aud 
peace, holiness and happiness, a preparation for, and an earnest 
of, eternal life. Thus, notwithstanding all Satan's efforts to the 
contrary, the gospel shines unto them and they are eid:ghtened by 
it, enlightened with the light of life, " the knowledge of the 
glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus ; and walking in the 
light, as he is in the light, they expect, in the way of universal 
holiness, an admission into those heavenly mansions, where the 
Lord will be their everlasting light, and their God their glory. 

18. And now, my brethren, having pointed out unto you some 
of those many devices, whereby Satan beguiles unwary souls, let 
me beseech you to consider whether you are ensnared by him ? 
Do not rashly conclude you are not, till you have thoroughly ex- 
amined yourselves as to all the particulars mentioned above. 
And remember, if that gospel which you have heard has not pro- 
ved the power of God unto your salvation from the guilt and do- 
minion of sin; you are to this day, in one respect or other, en- 
snared by him. Do you not stumble at the very threshold, not 
being yet awakened to a true sense of the importance of salva- 
tion, nor deeply engaged in the pursuit of it, but wholly attached 
to. and eagerly bent upon, attaining the transitory vanities of this 

H 



j8 



THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT 



world ? Alas ! my brethren, how hath the god of this world 
blinded you ! Surely while you expect to find happiness in earthly 
things, whether in riches, honours, or pleasures, you dream, as 
one observes, 

— " Of things impossible, (could sleep do more?) 
Of joy perpetual, in perpetual change, 
Of stable pleasure, on the tossing wave, 
Eternal sunshine in the storms of life." 

Pray, open your eyes ! slop! consider! It is a phantom you pur- 
sue ! You cannot grasp it. It does and always will elude your 
fond embrace. Wherefore do you spend your money for that 
which is not bread, and your labour for that which profteth not ? 
Turn ye, turn ye, for why will you die? Think, O! think, what 
will you be profited, should you gain even the whole world and 
lose your soul ? That immortal soul which Christ hath redeemed 
with his most precious blood, and the value of which is above 
rubies ? 

But perhaps impressed with a sense of this, you are already re- 
solved to give all diligence to make your calling and election sure. 
But are you not delaying the important business to what you think 
a more convenient season ? 

" All promise is poor dilatory man, 
And that through every stage !" 

Perhaps you think, it is time enough yet. But is it not late 
enough ? Have you not already served the world, the flesh, and the 
devil, long enough ? Have you not long enough rebelled against 
God, crucified his Son afresh, and grieved the Spirit of grace ? 
Have you not been long enough unholy and unhappy; a robber of 
God, and a murderer of your soul? Surely you have; yea, too 
long. And why will you suffer Satan to infatuate and make a 
prey of you any longer ? Consider what condition you would be 
in, if the Lord should say, "My Spirit shall no longer strive with 
that man : He is wedded to his idols, let him alone : Let him fill up 
the measure of his iniquities, and ripen for a more aggravated de- 
struction !" And are you sure he will not do this ? May he not 
justly do it ? Surely he may, and you have cause to wonder that it j 
is not done already. — Besides, think, where you would be, should 



THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL 



:>9 



death, relentless death, step in between you and repentance, and 
arrest you in the midst of your delays? And have you any assu- 
rance to the contrary ? You know you have not. You are sensi- 
ble you have no certainty of living a day, an hour, or a moment to 
an end. Wherefore delay no longer ; but, as " now is the accepted 
time, now the day of salvation, so, To-day, while it is called, To-day, 
hear his voice, and harden not your heart." 

19. And take heed you do not mistake the way. Remember 
Christ hath said, " I am the way, no man comelh unto the Father 
but by me." You are a sinner, a guilty, helpless sinner, and can- 
not therefore come to God with acceptance, but through his Son, 
the only Mediator between him and us. Go not about then to es- 
tablish your own righteousness, but submit yourself to the righte- 
ousness of God. « Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
shalt be saved. Believe on Christ, and thou shalt be justified by 
faith in Christ: 1 ' yea, Christ will live in thee, and thou shalt live 
indeed, shalt live a new life, hid with Christ in God; and il when 
Christ thy life shall appear, thou shalt appear with him in glory." 

00. Once more. I beseech thee be not discouraged. Be thy 
sins ever so many, ever so aggravated, yet still, " stagger not at the 
promise of God through unbelief," but be ihou like Abraham, 
"strong in faith, giving glory to God, fully assured that what he 
hath promised, he also will perform." Now he hath promised, that 
M those that confess and forsake their sins shall find mercy ;" that 
;i all manner of sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven" unto peni- 
tent sinners ; that he will <4 be merciful to their unrighteousness, and 
their sins and iniquities he will remember no more." He hath pro- 
mised to " cleanse them from all their filthiness and from all their 
idols, to give them a new heart and put within them a new spirit, 
yea, to put his Spirit within them, that they may walk in his sta- 
tutes, and keep his commandments. Therefore, Why art thou fear- 
ful, O thou of little faith, Wherefore dost thou doubt ? O, give no 
place to the devil. Yield not to unbelief: but rest assured, in 
spite of all the suggestions of Satan, and the evil reasonings of flesh 
and blood, that notwithstanding thy guilt and weakness, « he is faith- 
ful and just, both to forgive thee thy sins, and to cleanse thee from 
all unrighteousness." Putting thy whole trust then, in his merits, 
■Who " was delivered for thy offences, raised for thy justification," 
and who " ever liveth to make intercession for thee," and to appear 



60 THE DEVICES WHICH PREVENT, ETC. 

as thy advocate before the throne of the majesty on high ; " come 
■with boldness to the throne of grace, and thou shall find mercy, 
and obtain grace to help in time of need/' Thou shalt be justified 
from all things, shalt be regenerated and made a new creature : 
The Spirit of God and of glory shall rest upon thee: and at last 
being sanctified throughout, and filled with the fulness of God, thy 
spirit, soul, and body, shall be preserved blameless to his heavenly 
iirigdern ! 



SERMON IV. 

ON THE 

SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 



The Lord Jesus sliall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty 
angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know 
not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ j who 
^thall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence 
of the Lord, and the glory of his power. ...2 Thess. i. 8, 9. 

1. THE second coming of our Lord, and the amazing scenes 
which will then be opened, to the everlasting confusion of his 
enemies, and the perpetual joy of has saints, are subjects which 
frequently occur in holy writ. The prophets and apostles, Christ 
and his evangelists, speak often and largely of these matters; 
and though with some variety of phrase and manner of representa- 
tion, yet without any contradiction. And they all Lreat them, not 
as points of mere speculation, the contemplation of which has a 
tendency to increase our knowledge, and exalt our minds, but also 
and chiefly as discoveries of the utmost importance and concern to . 
us all, which when cordially believed and attentively considered, 
have, through divine grace, the most happy influence on our temper 
and conduct. And it is highly probable that Christianity would 
llourish much more than it does among us, if the ministers of the 
Gospel imitated, in this, their example, and led both saints and 
sinners to the more frequent and serious consideration of those 
events which will soon take place. 

2. Would we successfully call sinners to repentance? Like 
j Paul preaching at Athens, we must testify that ** God hath appoint- 



62 



THE SECOND COMING 



ed a day in whicTi he will judge the world in righteousness, by that 
Man whom he hath ordained." — Would we make the sinners in 
Zion afraid? Would we wish to see fearfulness surprise the 
hypocrites ? With the Prophet we must demand, " Who can en- 
dure devouring fire ? Who can dwell with everlasting burnings ?" 
Would we persuade the delicate and effeminate to self-denial and 
mortification, to (t cut off the right hand and to pluck out the 
right eye which offend ?" We must, with our Lord, remind them, 
that it " is better one of their members should perish, than that 
their whole body should be cast into hell, where the worm dieth 
not and the fire is not quenched." Would we fortify the timorous 
against the fear of man which always hringeth a snare, and often 
leadeth into sin ? We must exhort them in the words of Jesus, 
4 not to fear those who can only kill the body, but rather to fear 
Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell." 

3. In short, whether we would rouse the careless, or excite the 
indolent, or reclaim the backslider, or comfort the distrest, or 
succour the tempted, or encourage the faint-hearted, or ani- 
mate the faithful soldier of Jesus Christ, patiently to endure 
hardships, courageously to fight his enemies, valiantly conquer 
the powers of darkness, and seize the crown of everlasting life ; — 
we must bring the day of judgment into view, with the terrors of 
hell and the joys of heaven, and fetch our arguments, motives and 
encouragements, thence — Thus will the stout hearted, and those who 
are far from righteousness tremble, with Felix (who was alarmed 
at Paul's reasoning concerning a judgment to come) and inquiring 
" What must we do to be saved ?" will " repent and be converted, 
that their sins may be blotted out." And thus will the true believer 
rejoice in hope of the glory of God; and while for " the joy that is 
set before him he endures the cross and despises the shame," he 
will " give all diligence to be found of Christ at his coming in peace, 
and without spot and blameless." 

4. Since then these are such necessary and fruitful subjects of dis- 
course, and so repeatedly offered to our consideration in the sa- 
cred scriptures, it may be profitable for us frequently to employ 
our thoughts upon them. That we may do it for a few moments 
at this time, I have made choice of this most alarming passage of 
scripture, in which the apostle, with a view to their comfort 
and support under their sufferings, puts the persecuted church of 
God at Thessalonica, in remembrance of the very different state 



OF CHRIST. 



63 



of things which would soon take place, with regard to them and 
their persecutors. "God (says he,) will recompense tribulation 
to those who trouble you, and to you who are troubled, rest with 
us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed, with his mighty an- 
gels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, 
and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who (adds he) 
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence 
. of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." 

In these words we have, 

I. The certainty and manner of our Lord's second coming. 

II. The character of them who shall then ffe the objects of 
his wrath. 

III. The nature and duration of the punishment which he will 
inflict upon them. 

These are all very important points, and well deserve our most 
serious consideration. 

In this discourse I shall confine myself to the first of them, vis. 

I. The certainty and manner of our Lord's second coming. 

1. As to the certainty of his second coming, they who read and 
credit the oracles of God, can entertain no doubt at all concerning it. 
It is there foretold and described so frequently and clearly, and 
with such variety of method and expression, that the most care- 
less reader can hardly avoid observing and understanding it. If 
therefore I produce some Scripture testimonies of this Truth, it is 
not so much with a view to illustrate and confirm it, as to impress 
so useful a subject more deeply upon our minds, for it is too mani- 
fest, that it may be believed and understood, where it has by no 
means, its proper influence. 

2. I observe then, that this event was foretold by the ancient 
prophets, as well as by Christ and his apostles. Even " Enoch 
of old prophesied, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thou- 



64 



THE SECOND COMING 



sand of hits saints to execute judgment upon all." A truth this, o! 
which the Psalmist was not ignorant, for in the fiftieth psalm, he 
testifies, " Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence : a fire 
shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round 
about him : he shall call the heavens from above, and the earth, 
that he may judge his people." These predictions, so clear and ex- 
press that their sense must be obvious to all, are confirmed and il- 
lustrated by the testimony of Daniel, chap. vii. ver. 9, 10. "I beheld 
(says he) till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days 
did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head 
like the pure wool ; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his 
wheels as burning fire ; a fiery stream issued and came forth from be- 
fore him : thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand 
times ten thousand stood before him : the judgment was set, and 
the books were opened !" What a sublime and inimitable grand 
description have we here, mixed with admirable simplicity ? 
How far does it exceed, in these respects, every thing to be met 
with in merely human compositions ? How plainly does it appear 
to have been the effect, not of genius and art, but of a mind, 
through the influences of the divine Spirit, elevated with the gran- 
deur, awed with the majesty, and struck with the terror of the 
subject. 

3. These ancient prophecies of our Lord's second coming 
have the sanction of his own authority, not only as being inspired 
by him, but as being confirmed by most express declarations, de- 
livered by himself, as well while upon earth, as after his as- 
cension into heaven, and that, both before friends and enemies. 
I shall produce only two or three of these as specimens of the rest. 
Thus when Caiaphas, the elders and scribes, had the boldness, 
or presumptuous wickedness rather, to call their Creator and 
final Judge to take his trial at their tribunal; before these he tes- 
tified, " Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the . 
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." To 
his friends aud followers, he often foretold the same event, though 
with a different view, not merely to convince and alarm, but also 
and especially to comfort and encourage them. Thus, when pre- 
dicting and describing the destruction of Jerusalem, and the ruin 
of the Jewish church and polity, he slides (as it were) insensibly 
into this important subject typified by that, declaring, " After the 



OF CHRIST. 



65 



tribulation of those days, the sua shall be darkened, and the 
moon shall uot give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, 
and the powers of heaven shall be shaken ; and then shall appear 
the sign of the Son of man in heaven : then shall all the tribes of 
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the 
clouds of heaven with power and great glory." And in the next 
chapter, (Matth. xxv.) which it seems contains the last public dis< 
course our Lord delivered before he was offered up, he declares 
to all, " When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all 
the holy angels with him ; then shall he sit upon the throne of his 
glory, and before him shall be gathered all uations. , ' 

4. To these express and particular declarations, delivered by 
our Lord, while he tabernacled upon earth in his state of humilia- 
tion, we may subjoin his testimony from heaven, after he entered 
upon his state of exaltation, and was invested with all pow r er in 
heaven and on earth. The faithful and true Witness, the Alpha 
and Omega, when he takes his solemn leave of us, in the con- 
clusion of the records of truth, testifies both to his friends and 
foes, « Behold, I come quickly, blessed is he that keepeth the 
sayings of the prophecy of this book." And again, " Behold, T 
come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give unto every 
man according as his work shall be." And yet again, He thai 
testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly. To which 
the church replies, " Amen ; so come, Lord Jesus." Thus by 
three testimonies from the lips of Eternal Veracity, is this glori 
ous truth established. 

5. But that a doctrine so superior to reason, and yet absolutely 
certain and deeply interesting, might want no kind of evidence 
calculated to gain it credit, messengers were sent immediately 
from heaven to bear witness to it. Thus when our Lord had giv- 
en his apostles their last commission, and " while they beheld, he 
was taken up from them, a cloud receiving him out of their sight ; 
while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he w 7 ent up, be- 
hold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Ye 
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? This same 
Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like 
manner as you have seen him go into heaven." 

6. This testimony of the holy angels, or of the spirits of the 
just made perfect, is frequently confirmed by that of the Holy Spi- 

I 



m 



THE SECOND COM INC 



rit iu the mouths of the apostles, But as I would cot be tedious, 
1 forbear to quote any particular passages, choosing rather to refer 
you to their sermons, as recorded by St. Luke in the Acts, and to 
their various epistles, where you frequently meet with many glori- 
ous descriptions of this grand event. The testimonies already 
produced are more than sufficient, not only to establish us in the 
firm belief of this comfortable truth, but ako (which is most want- 
ing) to impress it deeply upon our minds. Good reason have we 
to settle it in our hearts, that as our Lord is " gone before to prepare 
a place for us, so he will come again to receive us to himself, that 
where he is we may be also ; that to those who look for him he will- 
appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Yes, 

" At the destin'd period shall return 
He, once on earth, who bled for human guilt, 
Aud with him all our triumph o'er the tomb." 

For then will he " change our vile bodies, and render them like 
unto his glorious body. Then will he " be glorified in his saints, 
and admired in all that believe." 

7. Let us rest assured then, though " the vision is for an ap- 
pointed time, yet in the end it shall speak and shall not lie." When 
the exact period shall arrive indeed we know not, nor can Ave ex- 
pect to know, since (as our Lord assures us) it is kept a secret, not 
only from all the men upon earth, but likewise from all the angels 
in heaven. But this we know, it will only be deferred till the 
mystery of God shall he finished; till the prophecies shall be all 
fulfilled, and a sufficient number redeemed from among men.— If 
therefore any scoffers arise in these last days, " walking after their 
own lusts, and saying. Where is ihe promise of his coming ? for 
ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were : w 
We reply, <* One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a 
thousand years as one day." No time is long or short with him 
who is eternal : he can do the work of a thousand years in one 
day, and a thousand years, nay, the longest time, is no delay , to 
Mm. He is not, therefore, " slow concerning his promise of coming 
again, though some men count it slowness ; but he is long-suffering 
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but rather tliat all 
should come to repentance," 




OF CHRIST. 



65 



8. " But the day of the Lord will come," and that suddenly and 
unexpectedly, " as a thief in the night, so that when men shall say, 
Pace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as 
travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape." For, 
" Behold, (says Jesus) I come as a thief," at unawares, and " at 

such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh Blessed is 

he, therefore, that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk 
naked, and they see his shame. Watch we, therefore, for we know 
not at what hour our Lord doth come. For if we vviil not watch, 
lie will come as a thief, and Ave shall not know what hour he will 
come upon us. If, like the evil servant, we say in our heart, Our 
Lord delayeth Ids coming, and begin to smite our fellow-servants, 
and to eat and drink with the drunken, our Lord shall come in a 
day when we look not for hint, and in an hour that we are not 
aware of, and will cut us asunder, and appoint us our portion with 
hypocrites and unbelievers. There shall be weeping and gnash- 
ing of teeth." 

The certainty of our Lord's second coming being evident beyond 
contradiction or dispute to all who credit the holy scriptures, I pro- 
ceed, as was proposed, to inquire next more particularly into the 
manner of his coming, according to the representation given of it 
in our text. For this too is doubtless a subject of inquiry well 
worthy the attention of all who love our Lord Jesus in sincerity, 
to whom nothing that concerns him, will appear trivial or unim- 
portant. Consider we then, 

2dly, In what form, with what attendants; and in what cir- 
cumstances he will appear. 

1. Will God's eternal Son again for our sakes devest himself of 
his glory, relinquish his felicity, assume our nature, and suffer in 
our stead ? Being made flesh, will the Creator of all again become 
destitute of every earthly accommodation, so as not even to have 
"a place where to lay his head," though the very "foxes have 
holes, and the birds of the air have nests ?" Will he again endure 
hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, weariness and hardship of 
every kind ? Will the sovereign Lord of the universe, and the 
final Judge of angels and of men, again suffer himself to be appre- 
hended by his creatures, arraigned, tried, and condemned ; to be 
insulted, spit upon, scourged, and crucified ? Will the ever-blessed 
Jesus again groan under a mountain of guilt, and sustain the wrath 



6g 



THE SECOND COMING 



of incensed justice, till he is constrained to confess, tiiat his ''soul 
is exceeding sorrowful," and " sweat, as it were, great drops of 
blood ?" Will the Prince of life again suffer the pangs of death, 
and the Light of the world go out in darkness ? 

2. Oh, no ! Those days of his humiliation and sorrow are past, 
and will return no more. For having vanquished his and our 
enemies upon the cross, and led them in triumph at his chariot- 
wheels, when he ascended far above all heavens, in reward of his 
victorious sufferings, he is invested with power and dominion irre- 
sistible and eternal, and is raised to a throne of glory at the Fa- 
ther's right hand. Because when " he was in the form of God, he 
emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the 
.likeness of men; and being found in the fashion of a man, humbled 
himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross ; 
therefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name 
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should 
bow, of those in heaven, and those in earth, and those under the 
earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
to the glory of God the Father." And now he reigns in bliss and 
glory supreme, Sovereign of angels and men, King of kings, and 
Lord of lords. The government of the universe rests upon his 
shoulders, and all persons and things are at his disposal, and under 
his direction. 

3. This dignity and glory of our exalted Lord is, however, hid 
from the world; and hence their disobedience to his commands, con- 
tempt of his authority, and neglect of his salvation. But at his 
second coming he will be manifested in all his excellent majesty, 
and therefore it is called the revelation of Jesus Christ. For then 
it will be revealed, to the eternal confusion of his foes, and the 
perpetual joy of his redeemed, what he is and will for ever be. 
Then will he blaze forth 

" In all the splendour of the Deity ! 

Darken the sun, confound the brightest star, 
His Father's image perfectly exprest ! 
The nations then shall own him for their God, 
And the whole world confess th' almighty Judge." 



Then will it be seen whom they insulted and reviled, when they 
said, «« Hail, King of the Jews," and, — « He saved others, himself 



OF CHRIST. 



he cannot save." Then will it appear for whose blood they cla- 
moured, when they cried out, "Away with him, away with him; 
crucify him, crucify him." Then will Pilate see who it was that 
he condemned to die, and Caiaphas whom he charged with blasphe- 
my. Yea, then will the whole race of impenitent transgressors ac- 
knowledge, however reluctant, the dignity and power of that man, 
whom they refused to reign over them. For then will he be re- 
vealed as the effulgence of his Father's glory, and the express 
image of his person, even as God over all, blessed for ever, pos- 
sessed of infinite and unlimited authority, and all possible perfec- 
tions ! 

"Ah, how unlike 

The babe of Bethlehem 1 how unlike the man 
That groan'd on Calvary ! Yet he it is, — 
That man of sorrows ! Ah, how changed ! M 

4. Concerning this matter we can have no doubt at all, the scrip- 
ture is so full and express upon the head. The passages above 
quoted, and which I need not here repeat, are a sufficient corfirma- 
tion of it. Our Lord there speaks of his " sitting on the right hand 
of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven:" and again, of his 
" coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory ;" and 
yet again, of his <f coming in his glory with ail his holy angels with 
him, when he will sit upon the throne of his glory." I shall only 
add here, just such was the representation of him made to St. John, 
when he (< saw heaven opened, and, behold, a white horse, and he 
that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. His eyes were 
as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had 
a name written which no man knew but himself, and he was clothed 
with a vesture dipt in blood, and his name is called The Word of 
God. And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, that 
with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a 
rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the 
wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture, and on his 
thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords." 

5. What a glorious discovery was here afforded the apostle ! 
What a grand and most sublime description does he give us ! What 
an august personage is here represented to our view ! But, ah f 
how much more will the representation strike us when it is made 



70 



THE SECOND COMING 



by Christ in person, and we shall see him as he is !-r^ShalI see hea- 
ven open, and the Son of God in. the pomp of majesty ineffable 
descending! — Shall see, 

" On an empereal, flying 1 throne, 
Awfully rais'd, heav'n's everlasting Son! 
Virtue, dominion, praise, omnipotence, 
Support the train of their triumphant Prince ; 
Night shades the solemn arches of his brows, 
And on his cheek the purple morning glows !" 

And now what is all the fulsome pride of human greatness, and 
the affected pomp which decorates worms of the earth, to this in- 
herent dignity and ineffable majesty of the glorious Redeemer ! Ah, 
how does this refu'geut Sun of Righteousness, thus beaming forth 
in his meridian glory, eclipse all the borrowed brightness of feeble 
mortals? Surely all the renowned statesmen, victorious generals, 
famed conquerors, powerful emperors, and mighty monarchs, which 
have ever dignified the annals of human history, and shone with 
faint rays during the dreary night of this world, shall disappear in 
the presence of this God of glory, when at the morning of the re- 
surrection, the day of eternity dawns upon us, just as the stars 
vanish before the rising sun ! Ah ! how will all the " kings of the 
earfh, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, 
and the mighty men," be then ashamed of that vain grandeur, on 
account of which they valued themselves, and confounded at their 
foolish and unreasonable pride, while they who pierced him, and 
neglected his great salvation, shall wail because of him ! 

6. But further, To give us a still clearer view of the dignity of 
eur exalted Saviour, and the glory of his second coming, besides 
his personal excellencies and divine majesty, which will be then 
fully displayed, his attendants are likewise mentioned in our text, 
and in other parts of scripture, and therefore should not be passed 
over in silence ; for they will yet more illustrate that glorious day 
of his triumph.— We have already seen how he shall be revealed 
from heaven, which shall (as it were) unfold its chrystal ports, or 
cleave its starry plains asunder, and discover instantly to our 
view a " great white throne, and him who sits upon it, from whose 
face heaven and earth flee away, and there is no place found for 
them ;" and at the sight of whom, consternation, terror, and dismay 
shall overwhelm the ungodly, and extinguish every gleam of com- 



OF CHRIST. 



71 



fort, and ray of hope. But the apostle further says in our text, 
that he shall be attended with his mighty angels, a circumstance 
which is attested by our Lord him&elf in the predictions he gave 
while upon earth of his second coming, (as quoted above,) and which 
lie likewise 'included in the representation of that event made to his 
servants Daniel and John. The latter of whom tells us, he saw 
"the armies of heaven following him, clothed in fine linen white 
and clean;" and the former "beheld thousand thousands minister- 
ing unto hirn, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before 
him." What a glorious retinue have we here ! How different from 
the twelve poor fishermen who attended, (shall I say ?) or rather 
deserted him in his days of humiliation ! Ah me ! in how different 
a character, and in what different circumstances, does the Saviour 
now appear ! 

" How chang-'d from him who meekly prostrate laid, 
Vouchaf'd to wash the feet himself had made: 
From him who was forsook, betray'd, deny'd; 
Languish'd, pray'd, bled, thirsted, groan'd, and died; 
Hung", piercM and bare, insulted by the foe, 
All heaven in tears above, earth xmconcern'd below !" 

7. These his holy angels will not only accompany him as at- 
tendants upon his person, to manifest his divine power and authori- 
ty, and to display his royal grandeur and magnificence, but likewise 
as ministers of his will, to execute his purposes of love to his peo- 
ple, and of wrath to his enemies. These, as harbingers of, his 
glory, shall prepare the way before him, and make ready for the 
appearance of the universal Judge! "I saw (says the apostle John) 
a mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and 
a rainbow upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet 
as pillars of fire, and he set his right foot upon the sea and his left 
foot upon the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion 
roareth, and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 
And he lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth 
for ever and ever, who dreated heaven and earth, and the sea, that 
there should be time no longer ; but the mystery of God should 
be finished, as he had declared to his servants the prophets." 



72 



THE SECOND COMING 



And now before, 

" In grandeur terrible all heaven descend, 
A swift archangel with his golden wing, 
As clouds and blots, that darken and disgrace 
The scene divine, sweeps stare and suns aside : 
And thus, all dross remov'd, heav'n's own pure day 
Full on the confines of our Ether flames." 

8. Preparation being thus made, the Son of man appears <; in 
his glory, and all his holy angels with hira." And now he sends 
these " his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they gather 
together his elect from one eud of heaven to the other." And as 
they are employed, as the instruments of his good-will and conde- 
scending grace to his redeemed, whom they will separate from the 
world, aud gather as wheat into his garner; so likewise shall they 
be the ministers of his vengeance to the wicked, whom at the time 
of the general harvest, they shall gather together like tares, and 
bind in bundles to burn them. Tes, at the end of the world, " the 
Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of 
his kingdom all things that offend, and thera who do iniquity, and 
cast them into a furnace of fire, there shall be weeping, and wail- 
ing, and gnashing of teeth." 

9. Another circumstance mentioned in our text, attending our 
Lord's second coming, (and the last I shall now take notice of) is, 
that he shall be revealed in flaming fire. This particular was also 
represented to Daniel, in that prophetic vision which God gave 
hira of Christ's coming. He saw (as he tells us) " his throne like 
the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire, while a fiery stream 
issued and came forth from before him." — As of old " the Lord 
rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the 
Lord out of heaven, and overthrew those cities, and all the plain, 
and all the inhabitants of those cities, and that which grew upon 
the ground," so at the consummation f all things, when he arises 
to shake terribly the earth, with that fiery stream which issues and 
comes forth from before him, he will " burn up the earth with its 
increase, and melt down the foundations of the mountains;" yea, 
" a fire shall be kindled in his anger, which shall burn to the 
nethermost hell,— shall burn and shall not be quenched." We know 
that «* the heavens and the earth which now are, are by the word 



OF CHRIST. 



73 



of God kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day'of judgment 
and perdition of ungodly men." And when that period arrives, 
while the w heavens pass away with a great noise, and the elements 
melt Avith fervent heat, the earth and all its works shall be totally 
burnt up." 

V 

" At that destined hour, 

By the loud trumpet summon'd to the charge, 
See all the formidable sons of fire, 
Eruptions, earthquakes, comets, lightnings, play 
Their various engines; all at once disgorge 
Their blazing magazines, and take by storm 
This poor, terrestrial citadel of man." 

10. To add the greater terror to this most terrible period, the 
scriptures represent it as happening at midnight — " At midnight 
(says Jesus) there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, 
go ye forth to meet him." And perhaps the apostle, in his first 
epistle to the Thessalonians, intimates the same, where he says, 
" Of the times and seasons ye have no need that I should write 
unto you, for ye yourselves kuow perfectly, that the day of the 
Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." — 'Tis true, this cannot be 
the case with respect to the whole earth, it being always day in 
one part or other of it; but it may be the case with regard to those 
parts of the earth which are most inhabited, and have been most 
favoured with the light of the gospel. These may be enveloped 
with the dismal shades of darkness, when this awful day instantly 
blazes forth. So it seems our poet, whose sentiments on this sub- 
ject are always as just as they are striking, and whom, therefore, I 
can hardly quote too often, supposed when he said,— 

" At midnight, when mankind are wrapt in peace, 
And worldly fancy feeds on golden dreams; 
At midnight, 'tis presum'd, this scene will burst 
From tenfold darkness, sudden as the spark 
From smitten steel, from nitrous grain the blaze ; 
Man, starting from his couch, shall sleep no more." 

11. Then, as was represented to St. John, " shall there be a great 
earthquake, and the sun shall become black as sackcloth of hair, 
and the moon shall become as blood, and the stars of heaven shall 
fall unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when 
she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heavens shall depart as 

K 



74 



THE SECOND COMING 



a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island 
shall be moved out of their place : and the kings of the earth, and 
the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the 
mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, shall hide 
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and shall 
say to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the 
face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the 
Lamb : for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be 
able to stand." Who, indeed, when 

w Above, beneath, around, amazement all! 
Terror and glory join'd in their extremes ! 
Our God in grandeur, and our world on fire !" 

1 2. And now let us turn aside and see this great sight. Let us 
standstill and consider this solemn scene here opened to our view! 
By the help of that faith which is the evidence of things not seen, 
let us contemplate the awful majesty and terrible grandeur of this 
day, if our weak senses can endure the dreadful glory of its light, 
or our feeble faculties sustain the effulgence of its overpowering 
brightness, and astonishing terrors. — Ah! how must it surprise 
and alarm the secure sinner, and how must it strike all men with 
amazement and awe, in the dead of night, to be suddenly awaked 
out of the repose of their last sleep, by the confused noise and 
deafening roar of trumpets sounding, thunders grumbling, stars 
rushing, elements melting, waves dashing, the sea tossing, and the 
earth quaking ! Ah ! how will the stoutest heart fail for fear, and 
sink with horrible dread, to hear the sudden crush of worlds, and 
behold the i?reck of universal nature ! To see 

" Each mountain height 

Outburn Vesuvius j rocks eternal pour 
Their melted mass, as rivers once they pour'd ; 
Stars rush, and final ruin fiercely drive 
Her ploughshare o'er creation!" 

How will the stubborn infidel, who treated these discoveries as 
the inventions of fancy, and the hardened sinner, who despised and 
neglected them ; ah ! how will they start from the slumbers of mid- 
night, the bed of debauching pleasures, or the couch of rioting and 
revelling excess, in wild affright and disorder, when they shall be- 
hold with their eyes, and feel, to their sorrow, what once they 



OF CHRIST. 



n 



would not believe, or willingly forget ! Now they can disbelieve 
and forget no longer. The great and terrible day of the Lord 
is arrived. 

" The fatal period, the great hour is come, 
And nature shrinks at her approaching" doom 3 
Loud peals of thunder give the sign, and all 
His terrors in array surround the ball : 
Sharp lightnings with the meteoi-'s blaze conspire, 
And darting downward set the world on fire !" 

Now the day is actually "come, which burns as an oven, and 
all the proud, (all infidels,) and all that do wickedly, (all impeni- 
tent sinners.) shall be as stubble : The day is come that shall burn 
them up, and leave them neither root or branch." 

13. u Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, sound an alarm in 
the holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land trem- 
ble, for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand : a 
day of darkness and of gloominess ; a day of clouds and of thick 
darkness !" Jesus descends with his holy angels; " a fire devour- 
eth before them, and behind them a flame burneth." See, ye 
blind, the victorious blaze of irresitible and all-conquering fire ! 
It rends the rocks, consumes the forests, melts down the mountains, 
lays cities, yea, whole kingdoms, in ashes, and envelopes the whole 
earth ! Behold, it rises, swells, spreads, and overwhelms all with 
an universal deluge ! While in the meantime, 

" Black rising clouds the thicken'd ether choke, 
And spiry flame shoot through the rolling smoke, 
With keen vibrations cut the sullen night, 
And streak the darken'd sky with dreadful light. 1 ' 

Hear, ye deaf, the rebellowing and aggravated roar of hoarse 
muttering thunder, the mighty voice of the great archangel, and 
the all-alarming trump of God ! Feel, ye stout-hearted, the earth 
quaking and opening, the mountains trembling and removing, the 
hills reeling and sinking, the valleys heaving and rising ! Feel, or 
be for ever hardened, the shock of conflicting elements, and the 
dash of ruined worlds ! 

14. Awake! awake! ye sleepy sinners! shake off your fatal 
slumbers ! Arise from the bed of sloth, and the lap of enchanting 

I 



re 



THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 



pleasures! Haste, haste, and flee for shelter from this day of 
wrath and unrelenting fury ! If you delay till this day overtake 
you, then, alas! whither can you flee ? The earth quakes, trem- 
bles, and opens under your feet ; the storm of divine vengeance 
lowers and bursts upon your guilty heads, and ruin and perdition 
surround you on every hand! The frowning Judge, whose just in- 
dignation you have provoked, and whose almighty wrath your sins 
have kindled, fixes his piercing eye upon you, and marks you out 
as the butt, at which he will shoot his fiery arrows, and direct the 
thunderbolts of his everlasting indignation. And now it is in vain 
to cry to the rocks and mountains to fall upon you and hide you ; 
the rocks and mountains cleave asunder, yea, flee away, and leave 
you destitute and forsaken, exposed to all the artillery of omnipo- 
tent fury, and in the midst of dark and fiery torment. 

1 5. Oh, that men were wise, that they would understand this, 
that they would consider their latter end! Oh, that they would 
lay these things to heart, and " take heed lest at any time their 
heart be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the 
cares of this life, and so that day come upon them unawares, 
for as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell upon the 
face of the earth !" Oh, that they would " watch and pray al- 
ways, that they might escape those things which are coming 
upon the earth, and stand before the Son of man, with joy and 
oot with grief. 



SERMON V. 



THE CHARACTER OF THOSE WHO SHALL BE CONDEMNED 
BY CHRIST AT HIS COMING. 



The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty 
angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not 
God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thess, 

1. 7, 8. 

1. It being absolutely certain that our Lord will come again, 
and when he comes, will be revealed in all the glory of his majesty, 
and in all the terror of his justice ; not properly in the character 
of a Saviour, but in that of a Judge, to examine into the conduct 
of all mankind, and pass a final sentence upon them according to 
their works ; — it surely coucerns all men to lay these things to heart, 
and to prepare for his appearing. And it equally concerns us not 
to defer this business, not only because what is always reasonable 
and fit to be done, cannot be done too soon ; but because a delay 
may be of the most dangerous consequence, for at " such an hour as 
we think not, the Son of man cometh," to call us hence by death, 
as well as to judge the world in righteousness, and if, when he 
cometh, he find us unprepared, we are undone for ever. 

2. And yet (dreadful to say) almost all mankind live from day to 
day in entire forgetfulness or total neglect of this matter ! While 
every thiDg else, however trifling and impertinent, is studiously and 



?8 



WHO SHALL BE CONDEMNED 



eagerly prosecuted, this is almost universally disregarded. The 
toy of business is diligently attended, the phantom of honour un- 
weanedly pursued, the enchantments of pleasure assiduously court- 
ed, the dream of amusement solicitously sought; in short, the 
things of time and sense, though transitory in their duration, uncer- 
tain in their stay, unsatisfactory in their nature, and even perplex- 
ing in their enjoyment ; these engage the attention, and engross the 
affections of high and Ioav, young and old, rich and poor. — In the 
meantime, our immortal interests, the favour of our God, and the 
eternal advantages and pleasures of religion, are generally bu- 
ried in oblivion, and neglected. Unreasonable is this conduct in- 
deed, but too certainly may it be laid to the charge of the gene- 
rality of mankind, whose whole behaviour clearly demonstrates 
that they are more intent upon providing for their momentary 
abode on earth, than their everlasting existence in heaven ; and on 
securing the favour and applause of their fellow- worms, than the 
good -will and approbation of their final Judge ! But in this re- 
spect, let not us follow the multitude to do evil, to offend our God, 
and throw away our own souls ! Nay rather, let us take care to 
be those persons whom the Lord will acquit and reward at his com- 
ing, that we may make our appearances at his bar with joy and 
not with grief. 

3. But who are those persons ? and what character do they bear ? 
To know this we have only to inquire whom the Lord Jesus will 
condemn at his coming,. for the character of these is exactly the re- 
verse of that of the former. Now this is described in the words of 
our text, and that very fully and clearly, although at the same 
time with great brevity. The Apostle tells us that x Christ, when he 
is revealed, will « take vengeance on them that know not God, and 
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." Having then al- 
ready considered the certainty and manner of our Lord's second 
coming, I proceed, as was proposed, 

Secondly, to inquire into the character of those who shall be con- 
demned at his coming to misery and perdition. The Apostle in- 
forms us, 

1st. They know not God. And, 
2dly. They obey not the Gospel. 



BY CHRIST AT HIS COMING. 



79 



And, 1st. They know not God. 

1. There is hardly any subject within the whole compass of re- 
ligion, concerning which people in general are so grossly mistaken 
as the knowledge of God. All men profess to know God, though, alas ! 
the generality by unholy tempers and wicked works, contradict that 
profession, and prove themselves to be entire strangers to him. If 
a man have but heard or read a little about the Author of his be- 
ing, if he do but believe his existence and perfections, he forthwith 
concludes that he knows God, and is very much offended if you 
presume to call his knowledge of him in question ! though at the same 
time, this pretended acquaintance with his Maker has no happy 
influence upon his spirit and behaviour, but they are just the same, 
Which one might suppose they would be, if he were a mere Atheist 
in the world. 

2. Though he professes to be persuaded of the infinite glory and 
ineffable majesVy of the eternal Jehovah, yet he does not inwardly 
reverence and humbly adore him ; but is light and trifling, stupid 
and insensible, perhaps, even in his immediate presence, and during 
the solemnity of his divine worship. Though he declares his as- 
sent to the immaculate holiness and inflexible justice of the right- 
eous Governor and final Judge of the w orld, yet he is not abased 
under a seuse of his sinfulness and guilt, nor does he abhor himself 
as in dust and ashes; but he is proud and impenitent, presuming 
upon the goodness of his heart, if his life have not been altogether 
blameless, and laying his own righteousness as the foundation of his 
acceptance with God. Though (he thinks) he has no doubt at all 
of the boundless mercy and incomprehensible Jove of God in 
Christ ; yet he does not cheerfully trust him with humble confi- 
dence, and joyfully praise him with grateful acknowledgments ; the 
pure flame of divine love does not glow upon the altar of his heart, 
nor does he devote his body and soul as a living sacrifice to God 
by Jesus Christ. But, on the contrary, he desponds and repines 
under dark and afflictive dispensations of Providence, while he un- 
gratefully admits the vain w r orld, Jehovah's rival, to. share, yea, 
engross his affections ; and most treacherously harbours sin and Sa- 
tan, the Lord's enemies, in the inmost recesses of his soul. 

3. So little is he benefited by the knowledge of God. But, in 
truth, what he possesses is not the knowledge of God, for if it were, 



80 



Who shall be condemned 



it would infallibly produce the effects ascribed to this principle in 
the word of God. It would beget in him deep humility before God, 
entire confidence towards him, fervent love to him, and universal 
obedience ; in short, holiness and happiness, a pledge and foretaste 
of eternal life. So we learn from the sacred scriptures. " I have 
heard of thee (says Job) by the hearing of the ear, but now mine 
eye seeth thee ; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and 
ashes." " They that know thy name (says the Psalmist) will put 
their trust in thee." " He that loveth not (adds St. John) know- 
eth not God, for God is love. And hereby we know that we know 
him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, 
and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in 
him." From hence it appears, where these effects are not, the true 
knowledge of God is not : An empty shadow, vain resemblance, or 
fleeting idea of it, there may be, but that no more deserves to be 
called the knowledge of God, than the shadow, picture, or idea of a 
man deserves to be called a man ; and it can no more enliven, com- 
fort, or purify our souls, than a painted fire can refine metals from 
their dross, or revive and warm our bodies.; or, than the motion of a 
candle can illuminate a dark room. 

4. No : the knowledge of God is an endowment far superior to 
what the generality imagine ; more noble in its origin, excellent in 
its nature, and happy in its consequences. It is born from above ; 
it is the fruit of the Spirit of God, shining within us, and enlighten- 
ing our minds. For though all the divine perfections, especially 
his wisdom, power, and love, beam forth with effulgent glory in all 
his works, particularly in the redemption of the world by our Lord 
Jesus Christ ; yet, the eyes of our understanding being blinded, we 
still remain destitute of the true and saving knowledge of God, till 
" he who commanded light to shine out of darkness, shine into our 
heart, (as the Apostle expresses it) to give the light of the know- 
ledge of .his glory in the face (or person) of Christ Jesus." Then, 
and not before, can we testify with St. John, " We know that the 
Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding to know 
the True One, and we are in the True One, by his Son Jesus 
Christ. This is the True God and eternal life." 

5. And as the knowledge of God is descended from heaven, so 
is its excellent nature equal to its divine original. It is such an im- 
pression of God upon the soul, and such a clear, full and affecting 



m CHRIST AT HIS COMING. 



81 



discovery of him as transforms us, more or less, into his divine like- 
ness. It is the beholding (as St. Paul says) with unveiled face, the 
glory of the Lord, in such a manner that we " are changed into the 
same image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord!" It 
is, through the teaching of his word and Spirit, such an acquaintance 
with God, in his Being and Attributes, together with those rela- 
tions in which he is pleased to stand towards us, as produces a cor- 
respondent temper of mind and conduct of life in us towards God. 

6. To be a little more particular: 1st, The knowledge of God 
never fails to humble us before him. For it implies such a view 
of his nature and perfections, his self-existence, independence, 
sovereignty, and eternity; his omniscience, omnipotence, justice, 
and purity; his greatness and goodness; as manifests in the clear- 
est light our own ignorance and weakness, guilt and misery, and 
lays us in the very dust in his presence, " Wo is me, for I am un- 
done, (said Isaiah) for I am a man of unclean lips, for mine eyes 
have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts." " Behold, I am vile, (said 
Job on a like occasion,) what shall I answer thee ? I will lay mine 
hand upon my mouth." We never see superior excellence but we 
are abased by the comparison : We never reflect on the perfection 
and happiness of an holy angel or glorified saint ; nay, we never 
come into the company of an eminently holy man, though he is 
still encompassed with infirmity, but we are more or less humbled. 
How much more then, must we be humbled at the sight and in the 
presence of that Being, who is the one source of perfection and 
happiness to all his creatures, and in comparison of whom the 
whole circle of created excellence is no more than a drop to the 
immense ocean! And though we only see him through a glass 
darkly, while in this world, and therefore cannot feel such a depth 
of self-abasement, as those heavenly beings feel who see him as he 
is, and who, covering their faces with their wings, fall prostrate in 
his presence, and rest not day nor night, crying, " Holy, holy, holy 
Lord God of hosts! the whole earth is full of thy glory !" yet in 
proportion to the degree of our acquaintance with him, we shall be 
ashamed and humbled before him ; especially considering our sins 
against him, and the corruption and depravity of our whole nature, 
which renders us utterly unfit for converse with him, and deserving 
©f his eternal displeasure. Surely a sense of this, at least, must 

L 



82 



WHO SHALL BE CONDEMNED 



lay us at his feet, and make us own with the prophet, " It is of the 
Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail 
not." 

" I loathe myself when him I see, 
And into nothing- fall; 
Am lost and swallow'd up in thee, 
My God, my all in all! 

My humbled soul, when thou art near. 

In dust and ashes lies: 
How shall I in thy sight appear, 

Or meet thy purer eyes !" 

7. Another never-failing fruit of the knowledge of God, is confi* 
dence in him. " They that know thy name (says the Psalmist) 
■will put their trust in thee." The reason of this is evident. They 
that know him, know him to be infinite in wisdom, and power, and 
goodness. They know him to be so wise as to be perfectly ac- 
quainted with all their wants, so powerful as to be well able to sup- 
ply those wants, and so gracious, that he will withhold nothing good 
from those that walk uprightly. And though their sins agaicst 
him might give them just cause to dread that wrath which they see 
they have merited, and beget in their minds painful suspicions and 
distressing fears; yet when they know that "he hath so loved the 
world as to give his only -begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
him may not perish, but have everlasting life ;" and when, being 
fully convinced of sin, they believe in Christ with a faith of the 
operation of God, and are justified by the faith of Christ; — then 
does their dread of God's displeasure give place to a sense of his 
favour, and their doubts and fears respecting his goodness, yield to 
a confidence in his mercy, manifested in the pardon of all their 
sins through Jesus Christ. And then 

" All the clouds 

Which conscious guilt spreads o'er their shudd'ring souls 
Vanish before his reconciling eyes." 

Thus knowing God as a reconciled Father, who has accepted 
them through the Beloved, and made them his children by adop- 
tion and grace, they trust in him for direction in all difficulties, pro- 
tection in all dangers, succour in all troubles, and a supply of all 



BY CHRIST AT HIS COMING, 



83 



their wants. And though they know they shall not be without chas- 
tisement, (for what son is he whom his fa her chasteneth not ?) yet 
do they kuow also that their heavenly Father chastiseth them, not 
willingly, but for their profit, aad are persuaded that all things 
shall work together for their good, as they are couscious that they 
love God. 

8. This leads me to mention another particular, never to be se- 
parated from the knowledge of God, which is, the love of God. 
For * Love is of God, (says St. John) and every one that loveth 
is born of God, and knoweth God : he that loveth not, knoweth 
not God, for God is love." When the apostle says, God is love, he 
means both that God is lovely in himself, and also that he is loving 
to us. In his own nature, he is amiable, excellent, yea, absolutely 
perfect ; and to all the creatures he hath made, to mankind in par- 
ticular, he is infinitely gracious and beneficent : Therefore it is in 
the nature of things impossible to be acquainted with him and not 
to love him. Nor shall our love to this greatest and best of beings 
be merely a love of esteem due to his infinite perfections, or even 
a love of desire arising from a sense of our want of his presence and 
favour : but, over and above this, we shall also love him with a 
love of delight. We shall take complacency in his divine attri- 
butes, and in those relations in which he is pleased to stand to us as 
eur Father and our Friend, and shall find our happiness in fellow- 
ship with him. We shall be able to adopt the words of Jeremiah, 
saying, " The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I 
hope in him;" and those of the Psalmist, " The Lord is the lot of 
mine inheritance, and the portion of my cup : the lines are fallen 
to me in pleasant places, yea, I have a goodly heritage." 

9. One thing more I shall notice here as a constant fruit of the 
knowledge of God, and that is obedience. For " He that saith he 
knoweth God and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the 
truth is not in him." So testifies the beloved disciple, and also 
adds, that " Hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his 
commandments." And the same is the most sure and infallible 
proof of our love likewise, for <c This is the love of God, (says the 
same apostle,) " that we keep his commandments;' 1 and, " He that 
hath my commandments, and keepeth them (declares the faithful 
and true Witness) he it is that loveth me." So that a conscientious 
care to keep all the commandments of God, even those which flesh 



84 



WHO SHALL BE CONDEMNED 



and blood dislike most, and to walk in all well-pleasing before him 
from day to day, is a never-failing consequence of our knowledge 
of God, and love to him ; and then, and only then, " shall we not 
be ashamed" of professing these endowments, " when we have re- 
spect to all his commaudnients," and " keep a conscience void of 
offence towards God and towards man." 

10. And here I cannot but observe, upon the whole, how well 
the scriptures guard the knowledge of God (which is only another 
word for true religion) on all sides against the false claims, which 
deluded men put in for it from opposite quarters. The self- 
righteous Pharisee, who lays his own Avorks, of which he has a mis- 
taken opinion, as the foundation of his acceptance with God, is cut 
off by the two first of the particulars I have mentioned, for he is 
neither abased before God for his sins, nor has he an humble confi? 
dence in the divine mercy. The third of these marks, shows the 
emptiness of the formalist's boast, whose lukewarm heart and tri- 
fling spirit testify against him, that he has not the love of God in 
him. And as for the Antinomian, who "makes void the law 
through faith," and " continues in sin because grace abounds," he 
finds his reproof and condemnation in the last particular. For 
though he " says he knows God," (and indeed he has need to say 
it, for no one would have inferred it from his life,) yet because he 
"keepeth not his commandments," we are sure that "he is a liar, 
and the truth is not in him." 

11. From this account of the knowledge of God, and its insepa- 
rable effects, it is easy to see who they are that know Mm not, and 
of consequence who they are upon whom Christ, at his second 
coming, will take vengeance. They are those who have no higher 
and better acquaintance with God, than that which they have at- 
tained by the exercise of their natural faculties and rational pow- 
ers, in the consideration of his word and works, having never re- 
ceived the 11 Spirit of wisdom and revelation (as the apostle speaks, 
Eph. i. 17.) in the knowledge of him." -They are those who have 
never (as it were) seen him by faith, or been inwardly enlightened 
with a discovery of his glorious perfections, and therefore do not 
" abhor themselves, and repent as in dust and ashes." They are 
those who do not know " God in Christ reconciling them unto him- 
self, not imputing their trespasses unto them :" and therefore not 
being persuaded that he is " pacified towards them after all they 



BY CHRIST AT HIS COMING. 



85 



have done," they 'do Dot trust in him as a tender Father and a faith- 
ful friend, in covenant with them through Jesus Christ. They are 
those who do not " behold what manner of love the Father hath 
bestowed upon them," and therefore do not consciously " love him, 
who hath first loved them." They are those, lastly, who perhaps 
"profess to know God" but " by works deny feim," not keeping his 
commandments, or keeping them merely in external things, and that 
with reluctance, from a principle of slavish fear, as though God 
were a hard master, and as though obedience to him were a task 
enjoined, which it would be our interest and happiness to be excused 
from performing. — Upon all such will Christ, when he is revealed, 
take vengeance. 

I now proceed to the other particular mentioned in our text, 
concerning the character of those whom our Lord will condemn. 

II. They obey not the gospel of Christ. 

A few observations on this point, will greatly illustrate what has 
already been advanced, and enable us still better to judge concern- 
ing our true state and condition. I mean to pursue the same method 
I did under the former head, showing positively what is implied in 
obeying the gospel, that we may infer from thence who they are 
that disobey it. 

1. It will be easily understood what is meant by obeying the 
gospel, if we consider what the gospel is. And this may be learnt, 
in some measure, even from the original word, (translated gospel in 
the New Testament,) which, it is well known, signifies good news, 
or glad tidings. Accordingly, what is termed gospel in the 4th of 
St. Luke, is translated good tidings in the 51st of Isaiah; and the 
preachers of the gospel are represented in the same chapter (ver. 
7th) as bringing " good tidings,'" as publishing peace, as bringing 
good tidings of good, as publishing salvation. This then is the 
very essence of the gospel, good tidings, or tidings of good, even of 
peace and salvation, of peace with God, and salvation from sin and 
misery. To explain this a little. 

2. The gospel brings us tidings of forgiveness of sias and accept- 
ance with God, of free and full justification through faith in the 
Lord Jesus. It allows, indeed, nay, testifies, that there is none 
righteous, (by nature) no, not one, that all have sinned and come 



WHO SHALL BE CONDEMNED 



short of the glory of God, that the whole world is guilty before 
God, that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all 
the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." And in consequence 
of this, it declares, " that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh 
living be justified in his sight." But then at the same time it as- 
sures us, that " God hath set forth his Son to be a propitiation 
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness (both his 
justice and mercy) for the remission of sins that are past, through j 
the forbearance of God." It affirms, that " God was in Christ re- 
conciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto 
them and that he " hath committed to his servant? the word of 
reconciliation." And hence they agree to offer pardoning mercy 
to all penitent sinners, and to bear witness, that " whosoever be- 
lie veth in Christ doth receive forgiveness of sins ;" yea, that " by 1 
him all that believe are justified from all things, from which they 
could not be justified" by their own obedience. 

3. Hence it appears what it is to obey the gospel in this view 
of it, as it is a manifestation of pardoning mercy through a Media- 
tor. It is, 1st, To see and feel ourselves guilty before God, and 
therefore to renounce all confidence in our own righteousness, from 
a conviction of its insufficiency for our justification. It is, 2dly, 
To apply to the all-sufficient merits of our Redeemer with peni- 
tent hearts, forsaking our sins, and putting our whole trust in him i 
for salvation, present and eternal. It is, 3dly, Firmly to believe I 
and appropriate to ourselves God's gracious promises of pardon j 
and everlasting life made to us for his sake. This is implied in 
believing in Christ, and all who thus believe, are " justified by the j 
faith of Christ," and, in this respect, obey the gospel. 

4. Indeed we cannot thus believe of ourselves; but then for our 
comfort, the gospel is further a dispensation of the Spirit of God, 
given to work this faith in us, witness this justification to our souls, 
and sanctifying our nature, to restore us to that image of God in 
which we were originally created. It supposes that our « sins j 
have separated between us and God," and caused him to hide his I 
face from us, whence "we are alienated from the life of God, and 
even dead iu trespasses and sins." It takes for granted (and well 
it may, for it is matter of daily and universal observation, confirm- j 
ed by experience) that we are altogether depraved and polluted 
through sin, insomuch that "every imagination of the thoughts. of 



BY CHRIST AT HIS COMING. 



87 



our hearts is only evil, and that continually from which corrupt 
fountain the most pernicious streams are perpetually flowing; so 
that we are earthly, sensual, and devilish ; all our tempers, words, 
and works, being in direct opposition to the law of God. — But then, 
notwithstanding, yea, because of this depravity and ruin of our 
once pure and perfect nature, and, with a view to its removal, it 
informs us that as Christ " died for our sins, and rose again for our 
justification," so, " being exalted to the Father's right hand, he hath 
received the promise of the Holy Ghost," which he " sheds forth 
abundantly" on the children of men, inviting all that thirst, yea, 
and whosoever will, to come and partake of it. 

5. JNTaw this Spirit is an universal remedy for all the disorders of 
our fallen nature. — Hereby the darkness is removed from our 
minds, and the hardness from our hearts ; our understanding is en - 
lightened, our will subdued, our affections set upon things above,, 
and all our unholy tempers and corrupt inclinations purged away. 
Hereby we " die unto sin, and live unto righteousness;" " put ofF 
the old man, and put on the new." By this, the divine nature is 
communicated to us, and the divine image stamped upon us; w$ 
are transformed into the likeness, and conformed to the will of God, 
Here wisdom lights her lamp, and from hence love kindles her fire. 
This feeds the flames of devotion, and without this, prayer and 
praise are cold and languid. By this, the life of God is opened in 
the soul, and the kingdom of God set up in the heart. Being joined 
to the Lord, we become one spirit with him, and we dwell in him 
and he in us. In a word, heaven is brought down upon earth, and 
an earnest of our future inheritance is given us, until the full re- 
demption of the purchased possession. 

6. But be it observed, though this Spirit more or less enlightens 
and strives with all (as appears not only from scripture, but also 
from experience, all men, the most abandoned not excepted, having 
at one time or another, felt remorse on account of sin, and some 
desire after holiness,) yet in these his saving- influences, he is only 
imparted to those who follow his drawings, and comply with his 
design. For this Spirit of light and love does not operate upon us 
as if we were inanimate matter, lifeless and inactive, but as rational 
creatures, endowed with a power to yield to, or resist his sacred 
operations. Accordingly, we are exhorted not to grieve nor quench 
the Holy Spirit of God, by opposing his work ; but, on the contra- 



WHO SHALL BE CONDEMNED 



ry, working with him, " to mortify the deeds of the body, that 
we may live." And "living in the Spirit," we are farther direct- 
ed to " walk in the Spirit," that is, to suffer ourselves to be led by 
him into all truth, holiness, and happiness, that we may bring forth 
all his blessed fruits, and abound id every holy temper, word, and 
work. — And this is the very thing implied in obeying the gospel 
in this second view of it, as it is a dispensation of the Spirit. 

7. Thus shall we be obedient to the gospel in every other re- 
spect. We shall be delivered (as it were) into the mould of its 
doctrines, every feature and lineament of it being inscribed upon 
us. We shall revere its threatenings, and steadily guard against 
that temper and conduct which would expose us to the execution 
of them. We shall obey all its commands with fidelity and cheer- 
fulness, rejoicing hereby to show our love to our glorious Redeem- 
er. We shall cordially embrace its exceeding great and precious 
promises, earnestly desiiiug and expecting their full accomplish- 
ment. And in the meantime, we shall calmly, yea, and joyfully, 
suffer all the obloquy, reproach, and persecution to which our pro- 
fession may lay us open, " knowing that our reward is great in 
heaven." Lastly, for this reward, with all the bliss and glory pre- 
pared for the children of God, we shall patiently wait, longing and 
looking for the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, to put a final period 
to our time of trial and suffering, and " receive us to himself, that 
where he is we may be also." 

These particulars might have been enlarged upon for the further 
illustration of this head ; but as this would open up too much mat- 
ter to be comprised in one sermon; I beg leave to sum up what 
has already been advanced by way of inquiry, and so to conclude 
this plain but interesting discourse. 

1 . I ask thee, then, whosoever thou art that readest these lines, 
hast thou the foundation of all true religion? Dost thou know the 
only true Godf Has he been revealed to thy inmost soul by his 
Holy Spirit in all his divine perfections ? And has this manifesta- 
tion of him been effectual to transform thee (in some measure at 
least) into his image, and render thee a true follower of God? Has 
it humbled thy pride and covered thee with shame, scattered thy 
fears and inspired thee with confidence, destroyed thy idols, and 
united thy heart to the source of all beauty and goodness ? Dost thou 
know him in his holiness and justice, and art thou convinced of 



BY CHRIST AT HIS COMING. 



53 



sin ? In his mercy and love, and art thou reconciled to him ? Has 
he discovered himself to thee as thy Friend, who is pacified to- 
wards thee after all thou hast done ? As thy Father, who has made 
thee his child, and given thee the Spirit of adoption in thy heart ? 
And as thy God, who has taken thee into coveuant with himself, 
through Christ, and is become thy portion and treasure in time and 
in eternity ? 

2. I ask further, Dost thou not only " know the only true God," 
hut " Jesus Christ also, whom he hath sent," the only Mediator 
between God and man, in whom dwelleth the fulness of the God- 
head, and in whom alone there is salvation for a lost world ? la 
other words, Dost thou obey the gospel, and is it become tlie power 
of God to thy salvation ? Hast thou seen and felt thy absolute need 
of the incomparable blessings it offers, free justification through the 
blood of Christ, and entire sanctificatioo by the Spirit of God? 
And hast thou accounted tidings of these unsearchable riches of 
Christ, " glad tidings of great joy ?" Hast thou beheld thyself to 
be a guilty, helpless, perishing sinner, condemned by thy own con- 
science, accursed by God's holy law, exposed to his fierce wrath, 
and obnoxious to eternal misery? — In this wretched situation, hast 
thou eagerly heard, and joyfully believed, the most gracious pro- 
clamation of pardon, made by the ambassadors of the King of hea- 
ven ? Hast " thou believed in Christ, that thou mightest be justified 
by the faith of Christ ?" And dost thou daily evidence the truth 
of thy faith by thy works ? Professing " to be justified by Christ," 
are thou not " found a sinner," continuing in sin, but being «* made 
free from sin, art thou become a servant to righteousness ?" Hast 
thou received the Holy Ghost since thou believedst," aud has that 
Spirit of grace enlightened, quickened, and purified thy soul ? Dost 
thou " live and walk in the Spirit," and is thy " conversation such 
as becometh the gospel ? Dost thou " walk worthy of the Lord, 
unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increas- 
ing in the knowledge of God ?" 

3. Be it known unto thee, whosoever thou art, of whatever sen- 
timent, of whatever denomination, of whatever party, if thou canst 
not answer these questions in the affirmative, if thou dost not know 
God and obey the gospel, as has been described, thou art at present 
most certainly one of those upon w r hom Christ, when he cometh, 
will take vengeance. But, blessed be God, thou dost not need to 

M 



WHO SHALL BE CONDEMNED, ETC, 



remain such. Thou hast it in thy power, through the tender mercy 
of our God, to " acquaint th) self with him, and be at peace," that 
after all, " good may come unto thee." Only let there be no de- 
lay : forthwith " come out from among the wicked, be separate, and 
touch not the unclean thing, and he will receive thee, and will be 
a Father unto thee." " Draw nigh to God," through Christ, " in 
that new and living way" of faith, " which he hath consecrated 
for thee," and he " will draw nigh to thee :" he will show thee his 
glory: will u manifest himself to thee as he does not unto the 
world f, and thou shalt knov him, whom to know is life eternal, 
while the gospel of Christ becomes the very gate of heaven to thy 
believing soul. 



SERMON VL 

THE 

FUTURE MISERY OF THE WICKED. 

The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty 
angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know 
not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ j 
who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the 
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. 2 Thess. 

1. 7, 8, 9. 

1. It is remarkable, that ia the account here given us by the 
apostle, of the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the eternally awful 
cnosequences of it, he represents our Lord's second coming to be 
rather in order to the salvation of his own people, than the punish- 
ment of the wicked. For although he mentions his taking vengeance 
on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel, he declares 
in the 1 Oth verse, that the end, the principal end of his coming is, 
that he " may be glorified in his saints, and admired of all that 
believe." 

2. How plain is it from hence, as well as from a thousand other 
considerations, that mercy is our Lord's darling attribute, and that 
judgment is his strange work. He delights to dispense pardons 
and confer rewards ; but it is with reluctance that he passes sen- 
tence of condemnation, or inflicts punishment on any. From the 
apostle's manner of representing the matter, one would conclude 
(hat he would much rather pass the imgodly by, did not the ur+ 



92 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



changeable perfections of his nature, the divine authority of his 
laws, and the unalterable rights of his government, oblige him to 
call them into judgment. But inasmuch as all his other attributes 
must be manifested and honoured, as well as his love, his law 
magnified, and the equity of his government maintained; there- 
fore he must and will " render to every man according to his 
works . to them who. by patient continuance in well-doing, seek 
for glory, honour, and immortality, eternal life ; but to them that 
are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteous- 
ness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every 
soul of man who worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the 
Gentile, for there is no respect of persons with God/' As cer- 
tainly as he will account his saints worthy through his own worthi- 
ness, " of the kingdom for which they suffer," so certainly, 
" when he is revealed, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, 
will he take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not 
the gospel." 

In two former discourses on these words, the certainty and 
manner of our Lord's second coming, as also the character of 
those whom he will then condemn, have been particularly consi- 
dered. I now proceed, as was proposed, to show, 

III. The nature and duration of their misery. But, that we 
may justify the ways of God to man, and prevent any abuse 
which might be made of this doctrine to the disparagement of the 
divine goodness, I think it proper to premisea few words concern- 
ing the reason of their condemnation and punishment. 

1. This is signified in the words of our text, which speak of 
Christ's " taking vengeance on them, and punishing them." The 
expressions (especially in the original,) intimate an unbecoming 
and injurious conduct in them towards God, which being examined 
into, they now receive the due reward of their deeds. Inquire 
we then, what their conduct has been, and we shall easily see the 
reason of their misery. Aud here I do not mention their viola- 
tion of the law of innocence, or covenant of works, made with our 
first parents before their fall, because the scriptures nowhere (that 
I remember) represent this as the cause of the condemnation of any 
at the day of judgment. But with our Lord, I observe, « This 
is the condemnation, (the reason of the condemnation) of those 



OF THE WICKED. 



93 



who perish, "that light is come into the world, and men love 
darkness rather than light, their deeds being evil." They 
« rejected the counsel of God against themselves f they neg- 
lected the gospel salvation ; " they would not come unto 
Christ that they might have life ; they refused " him to 
reign over them;" they buried, instead of improving, their ta- 
lent of light and power, slighted the divine mercy, " counted the 
blood of the covenant a common thing," i. e. they trifled with and 
abused it, and did final despite to the Spirit of grace," and there- 
fore they are condemned. Or, in the language of our text, 
Christ takes vengeance on them because they knew not God, when 
they might have known him, and obeyed not the gospel, whereas 
they might have been obedient unto it. Or, in plainer words 
still, he dooms them unto everlasting fire ; not because he appoint- 
ed them to wrath, and decreed their damnation before they were 
born, but because he would have saved them, and they would not, 
choosing death rather than life, and cursing rather than blessing. 

2. And that you may be able to form some idea (though after 
all it will be faint and inadequate) of the divine justice manifest- 
ed in their punishment, consider both the conduct of God towards 
them, and theirs in return towards him. Consider the love or the 
Father in giving his only-begotten Son, and exposing him to the 
most dreadful sufferings and ignominious death for those wretched 
sinners, who had abused his mercies, broken his laws, trampled 
under foot his authority, and rebelled against his government. 
Consider the Son of God emptying himself of his glory and hap- 
piness, assuming our frail nature in its meanest form, and at last 
submitting to pain and shame iu their greatest extremities; and all 
this for lus bitterest enemies, who slighted his dying love, refused 
his mild government, and even imbrued their hands in his most 
precious blood, or daily crucified him afresh : Consider the holy 
Spirit of grace operating in various ways, and at different times ; 
enlightening, awakening, convincing; alarming with fear, alluring 
with hope, drawing with love ; comforting in trouble, strengthen- 
ing in weakness, succouring in temptation : and this with a view 
to beget repentance, faith, and holiness in the soul, as a Spirit 
of adoption to cry in us " Abba Father," to seal us to the day of 
redemption, and give us an earnest of our future inheritance in our 
henrts. Consider him as persisting in these kind offices, notwith- 
standing ail ihe neglect, contempt, and contumely, wherewith wr 



94 THE FUTURE MISERY 

I 

treat him : notwithstanding we shut our eyes against his light, 
stop our ears to his calls, slight his love, reject his favours, and 
quench his motions; inviting dne most impure lusts and diabolical 
tempers, to supply the place of his spiritual graces, and enter- 
taining the foul fiend of hell in the inmost recesses of our souls, 
which should be kept sacred to this heavenly inhabitant, in short, 
consider the amazing plan of our redemption, from first to las:, in 
all its wonderful variety, in all its mysterious grace : Consider 
the abyss of guilt and misery where it finds us, and from whence 
it delivers us; the height of bliss and glory to which it advances 
us, and in which it establishes us; together with the astonishing 
process of divine love in the accomplishment of this great and 
good work. In a word, consider the greatness of this salvation 
provided for us, and offered to us in the gospel ; and then say 
what punishment, what torment do they deserve, and from a holy 
and just God must they meet with, who neglect and reject it! 

3. From a just God I say, for they have doubtless nothing fur- 
ther to expect from his mercy and goodness. The sun of divine 
love is now for ever set upon them. It shone indeed with effulgent 
brightness during the whole day of life, though it was never suffered 
to enlighten their minds, clouds of prejudice, exhaled from their 
sensual souls, obscuring its beams, and the thick vail of unbelief 
excluding its light; but it will now shine no more ! It has resigned 
them to the scorching fire of divine wrath, which (however reluc- 
tant they may be) will effectually enlighten them ; but ah ! witfe 
how different a flame ! with how dismal a light ! The stream^ of 
divine grace, which long watered their still barren souls in vain, 
are now run out, or rather diverted into a more fruitful soil, and 
streams of indignation are directed, by infinite justice, to flow in 
upon and eternally overwhelm them. 

4. Being awakened out of the long sleep of death by the tremen- 
dous sound of the trump of God, they are summoned to appear 
before the awful tribunal of the Universal Judge. A great white 
throne is erected, and he, who is the desire of nations and the joy 
of angels, sits upon it. " His head and his hair are white as snow, 
and his eyes as a flame of fire ; hi3 feet like unto fine bras?, as if 
they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many wa- 
ters. In his right-hand he carries seven stars, out of his mouth go= 
eth a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance- is as the sun 
shining in his strength." 



OF THE WICKED 



95 



" Where'er serene, he turns propitious eyes, 
We find a newly open'd paradise : 
But if resentment redden their mild beams, 
The Eden kindles, and the world's in flames : 
On one hand knowledge shines with purest light $ 
On one the sword of justice fiercely bright." 

Before this glorious person, to whom the Father hath committed 
all judgment, and who hath ail power in heaven and on earth, 
trembling and reluctant, they make their appearance, and receive 
their final sentence at his bar. 

5. The books being opened, and every secret thing brought to 
light, all their thoughts, words, and works, pass in review before 
him, and undergo a severe scrutiny. — And thus all their transgres- 
sions and defects being discovered in all their aggravations, they 
are recompensed in exact proportion to their demerits. For since 
they rejected the satisfaction made by Christ, and there remaineth 
no other sacrifice for sin, divine and infinite justice arrests their 
guilty souls, and confines them in the dark prison of hell, till they 
have satisfied all its demands by their personal sufferings, which, 
alas ! they can never do. They must therefore sink for ever un- 
der the enormous weight of that dreadful curse ; which, with re- 
spect to them- Christ bore in vain, and must reimburse, (if I may 
so speak,) by an increased misery, all the expense which divine 
goodness has been at with them. The love and mercy which were 
shown these wretched creatures, the blood which was shed for them, 
the grace which was conferred upon them, shall all be considered;, 
and as they will demonstrate in the blackest light, their ingratitude 
and obstinacy, so will they greatly enhance their condemnation, 
and aggravate their torment ! Having thus manifested their desert 
of the punishment provided for them, that it is a debt owed them 
by impartial justice and despised mercy I proceed, as was propo- 
sed, to show, 

Secondly, The nature and duration of their misery. On this 
head I shall, 1st, make some general observations, by way of ex- 
plaining the text and establishing the doctrine. 

2dly, I shall take a more particular view of their misery. 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



3dly, I shall conclude with an earnest address to saints and sin- 
ners. 

And, 1st, I am to make some general observations, by way of 
explaining the text and establishing the doctrine. 

1. The Apostle calls their misery destruction, by which, it is 
plain, he does not mean " the extinction of their being," or " the an- 
nihilation of their nature," because this sense of the word is con- 
trary to the general tenor of the scriptures, which represent the 
wicked as not only existing after the day of judgment, but as suf- 
fering the greatest misery. But by this expression we are plainly 
to understand, what is inconceivably worse than annihilation, viz. 
1st, " The utter ruin of their once holy and happy nature, with 
the final death of all their comforts and their hopes : and, 2dly, 
" The entire perversion of all their powers and faculties, which are 
now employed in rendering them most completely wretched." 
Meaning to enlarge on these two particulars, when I come to take 
a nearer view of this misery, I say no more of them at present, but 
observe, 

2. Their destruction is said to be " from the presence of the 
Lord. 5 ' This intimates to us what is the chief source of their ruin 
and misery, viz. their exclusion from his favour and fellowship. In 
consequence of original and actual sin, and because they rejected 
the garments of salvation, provided by Christ, and offered in the 
Gospel, therefore they are found, at the day of judgment, desti- 
tute of the divine image, that splendid and comely apparel which 
is the glory of the holy angels, and which was once the chief orna- 
ment and happiness of man in his primeval state. The rotten and 
filthy rags of their own righteousness, which they had taken pains 
to patch together and throw over their sinful souls, only serve to in- 
crease their deformity, and manifest still more their sin and shame. 
They cannot hide their pollution and defilement. In spite of all 
their endeavours they appear stained with the guilt of innumera- 
ble transgressions, and all over defiled with iniquity, whose fatal 
leprosy hath spread its loathsome influence throughout their whole 
souls, and wofully enfeebled all their powers. 

3. They are, therefore, objects of divine disapprobation and ab- 
horrence. " The God who made them will not have mercy on 



OF THE WICKED. 



97 



them, and he who formed them will show them no favour." They 
are excluded the favour of Jehovah, which is better than life, which 
diffuses light and joy through the happy regions of immortality, 
and banishes every shadow of evil far from their peaceful dwell- 
ings. They are debarred all communion with, and access to, the 
Father of their spirits, and the God of all consolation and good 
hope, who is the only source of true and lasting felicity to his intel- 
ligent offspring. They are even shut out of the blissful city, de- 
nied all fellowship with saints and angels, and banished far from 
the dwellings of liberty and joy, into the dreary territories of mise- 
ry and anguish. 

4. Thus being immensely removed from all that is holy and hap- 
py, and deserted of the Sun of Righteousness, the light and life of 
the spiritual world ; midnight darkness overwhelms their minds, a 
furious storm is raised in their passions, and wandering about in 
endless perplexity, and abandoned to everlasting despair, they are 
tossed to and fro by the tempestuous hurricanes, and raging flames 
of those sulphurious regions; and to complete the ruin of their 
once holy and happy nature, the hedge of their souls being broken 
down, (I mean the divine protection being withdrawn,) they are ex- 
posed to the desolating ravages of the devil and his angels, those 
wild beasts of the infernal forest, who, ranging forth in those inhos- 
pitable realms, overspread with a gloomy and perpetual night, lay 
their rational and immortal nature utterly waste, and root up and 
destroy whatever of excellence may remain. 

5. But this phrase, — "destruction from the presence of the 
Lord," may be also understood in another sense. It seems not only 
to signify the misery consequent, in the nature of things, upon their 
banishment from God's gracious presence, their separation from 
saints and angels, and their exclusion out of the heavenly city, (gene- 
rally termed their punishment of loss, concerning which I cannot 
now speak particularly :) It likewise may be considered as intimat- 
ing., if it do r.ot chiefly intend, that God himself, as he is present in 
heaven in all his love and goodness, as an inexhaustible source of 
felicity to his people, as a never-failing river of pleasure, where 
they may take large and repeated draughts of bliss; — so is he pre- 
sent in hell, in his infinite justice and almighty wrath, as an unfa- 
thomable sea of liquid fire, where the wicked must drink in ever- 
lasting torture. For as it is the presence of God in his goodness, 

K 



98 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



which diffuses light and joy through the happy regions of immor- 
tality, so it is the presence of God in his vengeance, which scatters 
darkness and wo through the dreary regions of misery. As hea- 
ven would be no heaven if God did not there manifest his love ; so 
hell would be no hell, if God did not there display his wrath. It 
is the presence and agency of God, which giveb every thing virtue 
and efficacy, without which there can be no life, no sensibility, no 
power. God is, therefore, himself present in hell, to see to the 
punishment of these rebels against his government, that it may 
be adequate to the infinity of their guilt. His fiery indigna- 
tion kindles, and his incensed fury feeds the flames of their 
torment, while his powerful presence and operation maintains their 
being, and renders all their powers most acutely sensible; thus set- 
ting the keenest edge upon their pain, and making it cut most in- 
tolerably deep ! 

6. Nay further : it seems implied in the next expression in our 
text, " from the glory of his pow T er," that he will exert all his di- 
vine attributes to make them as wretched as the capacity of their 
nature wiil admit. He will especially glorify his power, and ren- 
der it illustrious in their damnation. Gladly would he have glori- 
fied his rich grace in pardoning their complicated guilt, and his 
almighty power in restoring them to his imase, that they might 
have been raised to a share in his throne. But despising his great 
salvation, they would not come unto Christ that the) might have 
life. And now nothing remains but that he glorify himself in their 
misery, since they refused that happiness which he would have 
conferred upon them, to the manifestation of his own glory. For 
he must and will be glorified one way or another in all his crea- 
tures; and with respect to these ungrateful and disobedient wretches, 
he has but one way left in which he can be glorified, and that is, 
to reward them according to their works, by recompensing their in- 
gratitude and disobedience upon their own guilty heads. 

7. Thus fas the apostle testifies, Rom. ix. 22.) while he " makes 
known the riches of his glory in the vessels of mercy," which he 
hath " afore prepared unto glory," he will also '< show r his wrath, 
and make his power known, in the vessels of wrath fitted" (by 
their own wilful and unnecessitated impenitence) " for destruction, 
after he has first endured them with much long-suffering." Show 
his wrath, and make his power known ! dreadful expressions ! what 



OF THE WICKED 



m 



an unfathomable depth of wo do they imply ! Ah ! miserable crea- 
tures, in whom God will show how severely he can punish, and what 
a rierce fire of wrath his almighty power can kindle ! Surely, as 
the condition of the saints must be inconceivably joyful, in whom 
God will make known (as the apostle has it) the riches of his glory, 
i. e. display how gloriously rich he is in goodness, and to what a 
pitch of honour and happiness his omnipotence can raise the objects 
of his love; so, on the other hand, the state of these sinners must 
be equally lamentable! Unhappy creatures! from what a height of 
glory and felicity, into what a depth of infamy and misery have 
they knowingly and wilfully plunged themselves ! And now 

" Their dire punishment is ever strong", 
Their constitution too, for ever young 5 
Curs'd with returns of vigour still the same, 
At once to bear and satisfy the flame : 
Still they are caught, and still they are pursued ; 
They suflfer still, and still they are renewed." 

3. For the apostle tells us, their destruction will be eternal ; a 
declaration which is confirmed by many other passages of scrip- 
ture. One or two I shall now produce as a specimen of the rest. 
Thus Daniel assures us ; " They shall (viz. at the general resur- 
rection) awake to everlasting shame and contempt,"* even as the 
saints shall arise " to everlasting life," " they shall go into ever- 
lasting punishment," says the faithful and true Witness, even as 
" the righteous shall go into life eternal." And indeed, the eternity 
of their misery seems a natural cousequence of what has been ad- 
vanced in the two last paragraphs. For if God will display in 
them (as has been observed) the infinity of his justice, the severity 
of his wrath, and the omnipotence of his power, then must their 
punishment be everlasting, because their nature being finite, it does 
not appear how be can do this in any limited duration of time, 
however long. And thus what is wanting in the degree of their 
misery, is made up by its continuance. And for the same reason, 
among others, we conclude, the happiness of the righteous shall be 
eternal, because in them God will manifest the infinite riches of his 
love and goodness, which, considering the finite capacity of their 
nature, he cannot do in less than a boundless eternity. 

* Dan, xii. 2. 



100 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



9. If need were, I might add in confirmation of this doctrine, 
that as the hpliness and obedience of the saints still continue and 
increase in heaven, and therefore there must be the same and 
greater reason for their being rewarded with bliss and glory, when 
they have been millions of ages in happiness, than when they first 
entered the gates of paradise ; so the depravity and disobedience 
of the wicked still continuing and increasing, there must be the 
very same, yea, and greater reason for their punishment, when they 
have been millions of ages in torment, than when they first depart- 
ed accursed into everlasting misery! They must be perpetually 
swelliug their enormous sum of guilt, and still running deeper, im- 
mensely deeper in debt to divine and infinite justice. Hence, 
after the longest imaginable period, they will be so far from having 
discharged their debt of punishment, that they will find more due, 
than when they first began to suffer ! Dreadful this indeed ! but too 
true ! 

10. Indeed, the comparison drawn from the happiness of the 
saints, is not altogether suitable ; but alas ! the impropriety of it 
falls on the unfavourable side, and only strengthens my argument 
the more. For whatever proofs may be brought from other quar- 
ters in favour of the eternity of their bliss, which do not equally 
evince the eternal misery of the wicked ; yet, in this point of view, 
(sure I am) more may be said for the latter than the former. For 
the righteous, however obedient, do no more than is their duty to 
do, and therefore (strictly speaking) merit nothing at the hand of 
God. They can make no claim upon his justice, but all their hopes 
of happiness and a continuance therein, are founded upon his gra- 
cious promises, which he was free to make or not to make, as he 
thought good. — But the case is different with the wicked ; they 
have strictly and properly merited or deserved eternal punishment, 
and are, in fact, obnoxious to it. And hence their apprehensions 
of it are founded, not barely on his threatenings, but also and 
chiefly on the unchangeable perfections of his nature. — So that it 
appears, if this reasoning be just, they have more cause for fear- 
ing an eternal hell, than the saints have for expecting an everlasting 
heaven ! 

11. The reason of the divine conduct in giving them this two- 
fold proof (arising from his threatenings and the perfections of his 
nature) of a doctrine which, above all others, they hate and wish- 



OF THE WICKED 



101 



10 disprove, seems to be his compassion for these infatuated crea- 
tures. He means, by this double battery, to silence their evil-rea- 
soning unbelief, which, as an impregnable fort defies the whole force 
of divine truth, and too often detains the poor soul a captive of sin 
and Satan, until the judgment of the great day ! May his blessed 
Spirit give the desired efficacy to these engines, which infinite 
wisdom hath planted against the perverseness of unthinking men ! 
!May they level all the strong-holds of Satan, and bring into capti- 
vity every unbelieving sinuer to the obedience of Christ, before sad 
experience convince them, that in hell the worm of their anguish 
dieih not, and the fire of their misery is not quenched, but that its 
flame ascendeth up for ever and ever! 

I should now take a more particular view of their misery, but 
as this is too extensive a subject to be discussed at present, I shall 
defer it to another opportunity, and now conclude with a short im- 
provement of what has been advanced by way of inference and ap- 
plication. 

And, 1st, We may infer from what has been said, the infatuation 
and misery of those who know not God, and obey not the gospel. 
Whether they promise themselves an exemption from this eternal 
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his 
power; or whether they flatter themselves it will not be so dread- 
ful and intolerable as it is represented to be; or whether they 
indulge a vain hope of being some time or other released from this 
infernal prison, it is evident, that they are most miserably blinded 
by the god of this world, and deceived by the deceitfulness of 
sin. — O ye that " know Dot God, and obey not the gospel," we 
testify to you upon the authority of the lively oracles of eternal 
truth, that you are the very persons who are now exposed to this 
dreadful storm of divine indignation, which already gathers black 
over your guilty heads, and threatens a desolating downfal of 
misery and wo ? Yes, if your speedy repentance prevent not, upon 
you, even you, an offended and inexorable God will " rain fire and 
brimstone, storm and tempest, and this shall be your portion to 
drink." Let not then that subtile serpent, in whom you trust, be- 
guile you, saying, "You shall not surely die;" for as the Lord 
liveth, if you persist in your ignorance of God and disobedience to 
the gospel, you shall surely and eternally die. You " shall drink 
*he very dregs of this cup of trembling, and wring them out" 



102 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



ei God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of, man that he 
should repent. Hath he spoken, and will he not do it ? Hath he 
threatened, and will he not make it good ?" As sure as he is a being 
of immutable truth and inflexible justice, and as sure as you have 
broken his law and rejected his gospel, so sure must you, at- the 
morning of the resurrection, " awake to everlasting shame and con- 
tempt," and at the day of judgment, «* depart accursed into ever- 
lasting fire." 

2. And suppose you that the empty and uncertain applause of 
worms of the earth, or the vain and momentary pleasures of sin, 
or the unsatisfactory and fleeting glitter of golden ore can recom- 
pense you for the shame and contempt which will then overwhelm 
you with eternal confusion, and that pain and anguish which the 
scorching and fiery lake will pour like water into your bowels,, 
and like oil into your bones ? Unthinking and deluded mortal ! 
The praises of thy fellow-sinners will then be turned into insults 
and hisses, thy cup of pleasure into a draught of wrath, and thy 
glittering treasures into fiery streams of brimstone and torture. 
Streams these, which will for ever deluge thy desolated nature; a 
draught this, which will intoxicate thy soul with eternal horror; 
and hisses aud insults those, with which, as with whips and scor- 
pions, the fiends of hell will perpetually lash thy guilty and self- 
accusing conscience ! Believe me, my poor fellow-mortal, thou 
canst not, indeed thou canst not bear this devouring fire ! Thou 
canst not dwell with these everlasting burnings ! If thou thinkest 
otherwise, it is because thou hast not counted the cost, but hast 
rashly credited the devil and thy own deceitful heart, which were 
both liars from the beginning, and have not abode in the truth. 
They have agreed to make thee drunk with sensuality and sin, to 
put out thy eyes, and then to lead thee blindfold into endless ruin, 
a ruin from whence thou shalt not escape. 

3. Oh ! think, man, before the intoxicating cup of sin renders 
thee incapable of thinking, in what a wretched condition thou art 
soon likely to be, if divine grace prevent not ! Oh ! look, before 
the god of this world hath closed thy eyes in eternal darkness, 
into that tremendous ocean of fiery and unfathomable wrath, into 
which the stream of time will soon hurry thy frail and leaky vessel ! 
How intolerable and lasting thy misery ! Oh ! think of eternity ! 
Canst thou number the stars in the firmament, the drops of rain, or 



©F THE WICKED 



103 



the sand on the sea-shore ? Make the experiment; and when thou 
hast finished the calculation, sit down and reckon up the ages of thy 
wo ! And see that thy account be just. Let every star, every drop, 
every grain of sand, represent one million of tormenting ages. And 
when thou hast ascertained the sum, know that as many more millions 
still remain behiud, and yet as many more behind these, and so on 
without end ! Poor infatuated wretch ! My heart bleeds for thee ! — 
Gladly would I warn thee that thou come not into this place of tor- 
meat. Oh! that at length thou wouldest take warning ! Oh! that 
thou wouldest imitate the example of Noah, " who being warned of 
God concerning things not seen as yet, was moved with fear, and 
prepared an ark for the saving of his house." 

4. I warn thee, thou unholy and ungodly soul, who dost not 
know God, nor obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, of things 
not seen as yet: of the glorious coming of that adorable Saviour, 
whose salvation thou hast rejected, whom thou hast refused to 
reign over thee, and whom, by sin, thou hast crucified afresh ; I 
warn thee of an approaching and inexorable Judge, who, (if thou 
repent not) will summon thee, with all thy sins about thee, to his 
bar, and pass an irreversible sentence upon thee. I warn thee of 
a descending deluge of divine and infinite wrath, which will speed- 
ily drown an impenitent and unbelieving world with a fiery and 
unfathomable sea of misery ! I call upon thee without delay to 
prepare an ark for the saving of thy soul. Nay, for thy encou- 
ragement I tell thee, the ark is already prepared. The almighty 
love of God, directed by infinite wisdom, hath prepared it; an ark 
this, which will defend thee against all the storms of wrath, and 
which will bear thee up above all the waves of misery. Yes, I 
point thee to that man " who is as a hiding-place from the storm, a 
covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, and as 
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." I bid thee look 
vnto Jesus, and be saved! 

5. Oh ! hide thyself by faith in him from the wind of tempta- 
tion and sin; let his blood, sprinkled upon thy guilty conscience, 
and his righteousness, put upon thy naked soul, cover thee from the 
tempest of divine indignation : let his Spirit, flow ing into thy heart 
as a river, refresh and water thy scorched and barren soul; aud 
Tepose thyself under his cooling shade, until the burning sun of 
persecution shall go down, and the fiery heat of pain and affliction 



101 



THE FUTURE MISERY, ETC 



shall finally cease ! Flee for refuge to this hope set before thee, and 
all shall be well — Forsake all known sin, use every appointed mean 
of grace, and be also careful to maintain and excel in good works. 
But yet rest not there. Oh ! " tarry not in all the plain" of duty, 
but " escape to this mountain, lest thou be consumed." And thus, 
like just Lot, thou shalt be delivered from the common overthrow 
of the impenitent and unbelieving, and shalt sing the praises of thy 
Deliverer and Saviour world without end. 




SERMON VII 



THE 

FUTURE MISERY OF THE WICKED, 



"Who shall he punished ivith everlasting destruction from the 
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. 2 Thess. 

1. 9. 

i. How infallibly certain, and how astonishingly grand and 
striking, are the events presented to our view by the apostle in 
this alarming passage of holy writ ! Plow well worthy the serious 
attention, and devout contemplation of all who love the appearing 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, yea, and of all mankind ! And yet, 
(amazing it is!) they are in general overlooked and disregarded, 
even by those who profess to be assured of them ! 

2. The revolutions which are continually happening in the petty 
states and fluctuating affairs of this world ; the accession of tem- 
poral princes to their transitory dignities and corruptible crowns; 
the poor and insignificant conquests obtained by worms of the earth 
over their fellow-reptiles; the approach of earthly judges, and the 
trial, condemnation, and punishment of the violators of human 
laws, these are events which short-sighted mortals deem of conse- 
quence enough to occupy their thoughts in private, to employ their 
tongues in conversation, and to dignify the annals of history. 



" They think, they talk, they write of these." 

o 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



3. la the meantime, the grand revolution of universal nature , 
the glorious exaltation of the Prince of the kings of the earth ; his 
complete and everlasting triumph over principalities and powers, 
and all the potent enemies of his government ; the coming of the 
final Judge of angels and of men; the decisive trial of the whole 
■world at his bar; and the rewards and punishments then to be dis- 
pensed to immortal souls, united to incorruptible bodies ; — these 
subjects, though interesting beyond thought, and grand beyond 
comparison, are, alas ! too generally treated with indifference 
and neglect! These are judged unfit for meditation in secret, lest, 
they should make us melancholy ; unworthy of a place in polite 
and genteel company, for fear they should damp their mirth and 
spoil their pleasure; and sure it is, be who means to gain either 
honour or profit by his pen, must take care not to employ it or? 
1 hese dreary and puritanical (not to say methodisticaV) subjects* 
for which this light and airy age has no relish. 

4. Blessed be God, that these heart-improving subjects have any- 
place left whither to retire ! Blessed be God, that they are not 
yet quite banished out of the world ! They are still (thanks to 
Divine providence !) allowed to remain in our Bibles, and now and 
then, (although not often) to ascend the pulpit, and give serious 
instructions to a few of the poor and illiterate, who are not jet 
arrived at such a pitch of refinement as to think it beneath thera 
to attend their lectures. But who knows how soon they will be 
forced from this, their last retreat? Who knows how soon this 
jovial and licentious age, will forbid us to mention death and judg- 
ment, heaven and hell, even in the pulpit, and confine us to dis- 
course on subjects which have less tendency to alarm their fears^ 
and make their minds uneasy ? However, as this is not yet the 
case, let us not neglect to improve the liberty wherewith we are 
indulged, and in pursuance of our subject, let us, as was propo- 
sed, in our last discourse, 

Secondly, Take a more particular view of the nature and du- 
ration of the misery of the wicked, as proved and explained m 
the preceding sermon. 

1*. But here, I confess, my mind recoils. I feel a sensible reluc- 
tance to enter upon the consideration of so dark aud dismal a sub- 
ject, a subject which yet, I believe, very necessary to be considered, 
and not less profitable. For doubtless our Lord and his apostles, would 



OF THE WICKED 



Xkoi have recommended such painful meditations to us, if they 
were not needful, and calculated to yield us much fruit. To say 
nothing of their tendency to restraiu us from sin, prompt us to du- 
ty, excite us to diligence, and awaken our sleepy souls to watch- 
ful care and fearful circumspection ; reflections upon that future 
and eternal misery, which is reserved for the impenitent and unbe- 
lieving sinner, and is the just desert of us all, may be of great use 
to increase our patience under all the afflictions and troubles of 
this life, so light and momentary in comparison of it. And at 
the same time, to consider this misery in contrast with that exceed- 
ing great and eternal weight of glory, which is the free gift of 
God through Jesus Christ, will tend to enlarge our conceptions of 
that great salvation which Christ hath wrought out for us, and of 
consequence, to endear the Saviour to us, to whom we owe our re- 
demption from the curse of the law, and our deliverance from the 
wrath to come. 

2. Away then with this reluctance ! with this " foolish, this 
treacherous compassion," (as the benevolent Dr. Doddridge calls it) 
*' which chooses rather to leave men to be consumed, than disturb 
their slumbers.*' Let us seriously address ourselves to the consi- 
deration of a subject which, though dreary and unpromising In ap- 
pearance, is notwithstanding productive of much wholesome fruit. 
Oh, that it may prove such to us all! — Sorry should I be, by dis- 
coursing on this point, only to torment some of you before the 
time : and yet, if you seriously attend to what shall be delivered, 
and after all still resolve to remain in your sins, it cannot be ex- 
pected to produce any other effect. If, therefore, that be your 
resolution, if you be not disposed to bid adieu to all iniquity, and 
give yourselves up to the service of God without reserve, I would 
advise you to withdraw, and forbear hearing a discourse which, 
while that is your disposition, can only distress you. Withdraw, 
however, with this persuasion, that you are knowingly and yvilful- 
iy plunging into an abyss of misery, which you have not courage 
lo open your eyes to behold ; and this thought, if I mistake not, 
will be as a thorn to disturb your beds of indolence and pleasure, 
and as wormwood and gall intermixed with your cups of riot and 
excess ! Oh, that it may, after all, rouse you from the one, and 
make you nauseate the other, before you make your bed in hell, 
and drink the flames of endless torment ! 



108 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



3. In the former discourse upon this subject, in which the text 
was explained, and the doctrine established, it was observed, that 
the destmciion here spoken of, signified, 1st, " The utter ruin of 
their once holy and happy nature, and the final death of all their 
comforts and their hopes and, 2dly, " the entire perversion of al! 
their powers and faculties, which shall then be ouly employed in 
dishonouring God, and rendering themselves most completely 
wretched." 

Let us enlarge on these two particulars, and then, as was pro- 
posed, 3dly, earnestly address both saints and sinners on this im- 
portant subject. And, 1st, Their once holy and happy nature 
shall then be utterly ruined, and all their comforts and hopes finally- 
destroyed. 

1. Indeed their holiness and happiness was in reality lost in this 
world, although not irrecoverably. Even here, where " the true 
light enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world," they 
were depraved by sin, and immersed in misery, but they knew it 
not. Being laid fast asleep by the opiates of Satan, and amused 
by many pleasing dreams of worldly vanity, invented in great 
variety to employ and entertain them, they wist not what had be- 
fallen them. But intoxicated with the enchanting cup of pleasure, 
and in the mid.-t of their mid flight slumbers, though plunged in the 
filth of iniquity, and fast bound by gigantic lusts, they talked 
much of the purity of their nature, the freedom of their will, and 
the light and liberty in which they walked. Though the Devil's 
captiv es, confined by him in the prison of sin, bolted and barred by 
unbei?ef, and in the territories of hell ; yet were they as easy and 
unconcerned, as if the} had been possessed of all possible honour 
and felicity. 

2. At times, indeed, the stormy blast of adversity, the painful 
smart of affliction, or the terror of God's threatenings, disturbed 
their repose, and almost awakened their sleepy souls : but another 
draught of Satan's cup stupifying their senses, and the agreeable 
song of " Peace, peace," sounding in their ears, lulled them to sleep 
again, while sin silently doubled their fetters and chains, and un- 
belief, stopping up every avenue of divine light, added fresh locks 
and bolts to their prison-doors. — And now they sleep more secure- 
ly, and dream more madly than ever. — No sooner do they end one 
dream than they begin another. Scenes of business and amusement 



OF THE WICKED, 



109 



continually open one behind the back of another, that they may 
not awake out of their fatal slumber, till the officers of divine jus- 
tice break open their hellish prison, and bring them forth by death 
for execution, when the time of their probation being ended, the 
things which make for their peace are for ever hid from their eyes, 

3. Then their sleeping and dreaming end together. They sud- 
denly awake to a most keen and dreadful sense of the ruiu of their 
nature, and the final death of all their comforts and their hopes, 
The} feel in a manner words cannot describe, from what a height 
of holiness and happiness, into what a depth of guilt and misery 
they are fallen.- Destitute of their Makers image, and con- 
founded at the discovery of their nakedness and deformity, they 
fly from the presence of the light, and the sight of saints and an- 
gels, now intolerable; and overwhelmed with shame and everlast- 
ing contempt, seek for refuge from the anguish they suffer uuder 
the shade- of infernal darkness. But alas ! the flames of hell- though 
black and dismal, afford light enough to demonstrate their folly and 
depravity, while the arrows of almighty indignation, prepared by 
inexorable justice, and directed by unerring wisdom, pursue and 
overtake them, and piercing them through with unknown sorrows, 
lay them low at the bottom of that fiery lake, which fed with streams 
of brimstone, and kindled by the breath of Jehovah, swells, over- 
flows, and torments their ruined souls ! 

4. Their once holy and happy nature is now ruined, utterly and 
finally ruined, without any remedy, or the most distant hope of 
recovery. Their frail vessels, though built of the best materials, 
yet corrupted by the worm of sin, being conveyed by the ebb of 
time down the smooth river of life, are now hurried beyond the 
bar of death, into the fiery and unfathomable sea of divine wrath. 
In this most tempestuous ocean, tossed by the furious winds of al- 
mighty indignation, upon the raging billow s of insupportable tor- 
ment, they suffer a speedy and an eternal shipwreck. Dashed 
upon the rocks of ruin, or swallowed up in the gulf of despair, 
they are entirely lost, and not one broken piece of holiness or hap- 
piness remains, nor so much as a single plank of hope upon which 
ihey may expect, though after millions of ages, to escape to some 
laud of rest. But, 




" The hopeless soul 

Bound to the bottom of the flaming pool. 



110 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



Tho' loath, and ever loud blaspheming, owns 
'Tis justly doom'd to pour eternal groans ; 
To talk, to fiery tempests, and implore 
The raging flame to give its fury o'er; 
To writhe, to toss, to pant beneath its load, 
And bear the weight of an offended God." 

And dow die}' have no sleepy opiates to make them forget for 
one moment their misery: no amusement to divert their attention 
from their intolerable pain, and no consolation left to lighten, in any 
degree, the dreadful weight of their sufferings ! 

5. In their most distressing situation here, some alleviating cir- 
cumstances rendered their affliction tolerable. — Some remaining 
good in part relieved them under their greatest losses ; some cordial, 
timely administered, supported them under their severest troubles, 
and some sympathizing friend, kindly interposing, took a share of 
their cares upon himself, and helped them to bear the burden of 
their wo. Or if these things all failed, and they were reduced to 
the veiy extremity of distress, yet even then hope, flattering hope, 
which in this world 

" Springs eternal in the human breast," 

darting a ray of comfort through the gloom, prevented their case 
from becoming desperate. But now there is the reverse of all this. 
All, all is lost, entirely lost, and nothing of good remains! Every 
possible evil hath befallen them, and with every possible circum- 
stance of aggravation ! No condoling friend lightens their load of 
sorrow! No beam of hope promises any advantageous change! 
But on the contrary, tormenting fiends and malicious spirits add 
to their weight of sufferings by cruel upbraidings; and black de- 
spair, hovering over their desponding souls, flaps his raven wings, 
and foretells an eternity of wo ! In those 

" Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where joy, 
Where peace can never come, hope never comes, 
That comes to all : but torment without end 
Still urges, and a fiery deluge fed, 
With ever-burning sulphur unconsum'd." 

But farther,, (if we have courage to venture further into these 
dreary territories of the prince of darkness,) the destruction spoken 
of in our text implies, 



OF THE WICKED. H i 

2dly, The entire perversion of all their faculties^ so that they 
serve only to increase their torment, and render them most com- 
pletely wretched. Let us consider them briefly and in order. 

h The imagination, freed from every clog wherewith its mo- 
tions were once impeded, when it was encumbered by flesh and 
blood, being now rendered quick and active as a disembodied spi- 
rit, is perpetually traversing, with incredible speed and unwearied 
diligence, the gloomy regions of hell in quest of wo. And having 
collected together every consideration of horror, it clothes them 
all in the most hideous forms, and thereby keeps the poor, affright- 
ed soul, in continual terror and dismay. — The understanding, clear- 
ed of all the mists of ignorance and fumes of prejudice, wherewith 
it was obscured in this world, and now discerning every thing in its 
true light, is ever unhappily busied in comparing the joys of hea- 
ven with the torments of hell, and contrasting the happiness they 
have lost, with the misery they have incurred. It remonstrates, 
in terms which wound and pierce their inmost souls, upon their 
ingratitude, folly, and perverseness, in rejecting a felicity so valua- 
ble in itself, so dearly bought, and so freely and repeatedly offer- 
ed ; while in contradiction to reason, to duty, and interest ; agaiust 
the clearest light and the greatest love ; notwithstanding the most 
solemn warnings and earnest entreaties, the exhortations, prayers, 
tears, and blood of the Son of God himself, they knotvingly and 
wilfully plunged into a depth of wo, from whence there is no re- 
demption. 

2. In this work of torment, the understanding receives no small 
assistance from the memory, now strengthened to an amazing de- 
gree. This faculty brings in review their whole life, and presents 
to the active mind an endless variety of circumstances, which only 
tend, like oil poured into the fire, to feed the flames of their mise- 
ry, and make them burn with more unabating fury. — It reminds 
them, on the one hand, of the many and undeserved mercies of a 
kind Creator, a patient Preserver, and a gracious Redeemer, which 
might have warmed the coldest breast with fervent gratitude and 
love; and on the other, of the various and alarming judgments 
executed by the righteous governor of the world, for the terror of 
evil-doers, which might have broken in pieces the most rocky and 
adamantine heart. But their breasts remained, after all, still cold 
as ice, and their hearts hard as a nether millstone. It brings to 



112 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



their remembrance the superintending care of a kind and watchful 
providence, which perpetually and wisely ordered all for their good, 
removed their hindrances, afforded them helps, and put them in 
the most favourable circumstances for their restoration. But they 
perversely, by a diabolical skill in spiritual chymistry, extracted a 
bitter out of every sweet, turned their helps into hindrances, and 
their good into evil ! 

3. By the help of the memory they recollect the many, free, 
and gracious offers of reconciliation which were made them by 
the ambassadors of Christ, accompanied with repeated and press- 
ing invitations, to accept those offers and faithful warnings of ap- 
proaching misery, if they neglected them. They remember how 
all these were, time after time, attended by the influences of the 
Spirit, disposing their minds to consider and improve them. At 
times they were inclined to comply, and almost persuaded to be 
christians, especially when an alarming Providence cut off, by a 
sudden and unexpected stroke, some near relation or dear friend, 
or laid a heavy hand of affliction upon themselves. But alas! 
some hurry of idle business occupied their minds, some phantom 
of empty applause engaged their pursuit, some intoxicating draught 
of the cup of pleasure, unhappily taken, drowned their convictions, 
or some frothy company or vain amusement, diverted their atten- 
tion from the one thing needful! And thus they have for ever lost 
that exceeding great and eternal weight of glory^ which they had 
once so fair an opportunity of attaining, and sunk into an unfathom- 
able depth of wo, out of which there is no deliverance ! 

4. In the meantime, conscience is not idle. Once indeed 

" She seem'd to sleep 
On rose and myrtle, lull'd with syren song : 
Once she seem'd nodding o'er her charge, to drop 
On headlong appetite the slacken'd rein, 
And give them up to license vmrecaH'd." 

But it was all deceit. Even then she registered all their thoughts, 
and words, and works, and kept a faithful and circumstantial ac- 
count of their whole conduct. No temper of mind, no action of 
life escaped her observation ; but 

" The sly informer noted every fault, 
And her dread diary with horror fiHM : 



©F THE WICKED 



1W 



tJhnotic'd niark'd each moment misapplied 
On leaves more durable than those of brass ': 
Wrote their Avhole history, which now she reads 
In every pale delinquent's private ear." 

For being no longer bribed by sin, nor stupified by excess, coiir 
science now tells them the truth, the whole truth, and that in ac- 
cents most dreadfully severe, from which they can no longer turn 
away their ears. 

5. They are now obliged to hearken, however reluctant, to 
the tormenting history which conscience minutely gives them, of 
the sabbaths they have broken, the ordinances they have profaned, 
the oaths they have sworn, the lies they have told, the acts of un- 
cleanness, intemperance, fraud, and oppression, they have com- 
mitted, the mercies they have abused, the judgments they have 
slighted. She gives them a particular detail of all the instances 
of their ingratitude and disobedience to him, who was at once 
their most indulgent parent and bountiful benefactor : and enlarges 
much upon their hypocrisy before an heart-searching God, their 
formality in the worship of him who is a Spirit, and their 
lukewarmness in the pursuit of immortal honour and eternal gain. 
In short, this long-neglected, and now implacably revengeful power, 
perpetually holds out to their view the glass of God's holy law ? 
which confounds and torments them with a discovery of their 
filthiness and deformity. Look which way they will, their sins, 
the offspring of their folly, summoned by conscience, in all their 
number and aggravations, drest in the most frightful forms, and 
armed with the most dreadful instruments of torture, stare them 
in the face with looks of vengeance, and fly upon them with insa- 
tiable fury. Thus, like an infernal fiend, she lashes their souls 
with whips and scorpions, while as a worm she gnaws and con- 
sumes their inwards, or like an hungry vulture, preys upon and de- 
vours their undecaying vitals. 

6. And if the rational faculties, the most noble of our nature, 
are thus busy in executing upon them the indignation and wrath 
of an offended God, for their depravation and abuse of those fa- 
culties, surely the inferior powers, which are but servants to the 
superior, will not be suffered to remain unemployed. — The pas- 
sions have a considerable share in this work of vengeance assign- 

P 



114 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



ed them, and that justly, for they bear a chief part in soliciting 
man to sin. Indeed some of the passions which imply happiness 
in their very nature, such as esteem, and hope, and joy, never 
visit these dre*ary regions, but take up their abode in purer climes, 
and under the influence of a milder sky. But all those which 
sin hath debauched and made pregnant with wo, are banished to 
those inhospitable realms, far from the dwellings of light and 
liberty, where they are continually employed in digging deep into 
mines of misery, and forming of hellish metal instruments of 
punishment, wherewith to torture damned spirits. 

Thus those unhappy creatures feel insatiable desires after ob- 
jects infinitely and eternally removed from them, while to objects 
ever present and before them, they have an unspeakable liatred, 
and an unconquerable aversion. A deluge of remediless sorrorv 
perpetually overwhelms them on account of the torment they alrea- 
dy suffer; but as if they suffered nothing in comparison of what 
was yet to come, they are ever terrified with the most dreadful 
fear of unknown waves of wo, which they see continually rising in 
tremendous mountains, one behind another, and ready to burst upon 
their hopeless souls with a fresh flood of affliction ! 

8. And, ah ! what they suffer from the mortification of their 
pride, and the everlasting shame and contempt wherewith they are 
loaded ! Proud as Lucifer, they deem themselves worthy of the 
highest dignity, when, behold, they are sunk to the lowest point 
of degradation, and are only noticed to be hissed and despised, 
Hence they fret, rave, and tear; they swell with resentment and 
rage towards God and one another. The rancour which boils in 
their breasts vents itself in revengeful looks, horrid imprecations, 
and impotent efforts of disappointed cruelty. Discontent, restless 
and impatient; anger, loud and boisterous ; envy, pale and ghastly; 
malice, implacable and fierce; in short, all the passions (capable of 
misery) like so many dogs of hell, let loose and enraged, at the 
beck of the prince of darkness and his malicious crew, with infer- 
nal howling, and barking rage, surround, attack, and rend their 
wretched souls, crying out for help in vain, with piteous wailings 
and loud laments ! Such is 

* Wo's wide empire, where deep troubles toss, 
Loud sorrows howl, invenom'd passions bite; 



OF THE WICKEIX 



115 



Rav'nous calamities their vitals seize, 
And threat'ning- fate wide opens to devour." 

9. What hath hitherto been said, refers only to the misery ari^ 
sing from the abused aud corrupted faculties of their souls ; but I 
must not forget to mention, on this occasion, the sufferings peculiar 
to the bodies, wherewith the wicked will be punished at the morn- 
ing of the resurrection. And here, to say nothing of that fiery 
lake, to the bottom of which they will be chained by despised 
mercy, converted iuto inexorable wrath, and which surrounds 
their whole body with its scorching flames, and insinuates itself 
" like water into their bowels, and like oil into their bones." All 
their Senses, which were formerly excitements to lust and inlets to 
sin, together with all their Members employed on earth as instru- 
ments of iniquity, are now, by the appointment of infinite justice, 
become inlets to misery, and instruments of punishment. Their Eyes, 
accustomed to behold scenes of pleasure and objects of delight, are 
now terrified with the sight of hideous forms and frightful shapes. 
Their Ears, wont to be entertained with wanton songs and melo- 
dious music, are now shocked with doleful groans, lamentable 
shrieks, aud horrible bowlings. Their Nostrils, formerly revived 
with fragrant odours and rich perfumes, are now offended with the 
intolerable stench of sulphur and rottenness ; while their Taste, used 
to be regaled with the most generous wines and richest dainties, is 
now tormented with the nauseousness of brimstone and putrefac- 
tion. In the meantime, their hands, their feet, their heads, their 
hearts, their whole body, in short, with all its members, shares in 
the wo, and contributes to the punishment of these miserable 
wretches. Thus 

" All those powers heaven gave them to supply 
Their soul with pleasure, and bring in their joy, 
Rise up in arms against them, join the foe, 
Sense, reason, memory, increase their wo j 
And there their voice, ordain'd on hymns to dwell, 
Corrupts to groans, and blows the flames of hell ; 
There they must look with terror on their gain, 
And with existence, only measure pain." 

10. Such is the destruction wherewith Christ, when he cometh, 
11 recompense those who know not God, and obey not the gospel. 



116 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



I mean, this is a faint picture of it. For as to their misery itself 
so far have I been, while attempting to describe it, from dipping my 
pencil in too deep colours, that the whole creation affords none 
deep enough to represent a thousandth part of its. greatness. For 
as " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into 
the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for those Avho 
love him;" so the same may we affirm concerning the torments re- 
served for those who hate him. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive'' 
these : our most enlarged conceptions fall far short of them. How- 
ever, we see enough of them, (one would suppose) to awaken our 
fear, and arm our souls with watchful care to avoid them. 

This is the end I have had in view, in discoursing on this dis- 
agreeable subject. I mean hereby, through the grace of God, to 
prevent your ever sharing these unknown sufferings, and proving, 
to your eternal sorrow, how vastly my description falls short of 
their reality. And that I may not miss my aim, I beg leave to 
address you a moment by way of application and improvement, be- 
fore I conclude. 

And, 1st. Let me entreat you to recollect what has been proved, 
and to remember, that while " you know not God, and obey not the 
gospel," you are perpetually liable to all the unknown and un- 
fathomable horrors of this misery. Yes, this great gulf which 
Christ and his apostles have unveiled to your view, and advised 
you to cast a look towards, before you plunge headlong into it ; 
this abyss of misery, beneath your very feet, as it were. 

" Expands its jaws, how dreadful to survey! 
And roars outrageous for its destined prey." 

Ah, my friends ; be not so childish as to think the bare shutting 
your eyes against its dismal gloom, pierced with shafted lightening, 
and streaked with spiry flames, will make it cease to exist, pre- 
vent your faliing into it, or render it in any degree the more tole- 
rable. As well might you think to extinguish the sun by closing 
your eyes, or to avoid a cannon-ball by looking another way. 
You may indeed turn away your sight from this perdition, fix 
your attention on some more agreeable subject, and so avoid the 
present pain which such reflections might produce. But alas' 



OF THE WICKED. 



117 



you will gain little by this; for to shun the consideration of this 
misery now, is the way to continue in sin, and sutler it eternally 
hereafter. 

2. And wilt thou then shut thine eyes, and leap wilfully and ob- 
stinately into ruin ? Ah, sioner, think what thou dost ! And hast 
thou then counted the cost ? Canst thou indeed bear this devouring 
lire which yet will Dot consume thee ? Caost thou dwell with these 
everlasting burnings, for which thou wilt be the everlasting fuel, where 

" Thy torment must transcend 
The reach of time, despair a distant end, 
With dreadful growth shoot forward and arise 
Where thought can't follow, aud bold fancy dies."" 

Poor unhappy wretch ! how infatuated must thou be ! — If thy mind 
were not blinded by the god of this world, and thy very senses 
drenched in sensuality, and stupified by the opiates of sin, if thou 
hadst any power of discerning or feeling left, I would ask thee how 
thou couldst bear to be suddeuly striptof all thy earthly possessions, 
totally deserted of all thy f iends, arrested by merciless creditors, con- 
fined in a dark dungeon, loaded with heavy irons ; and in this condi- 
tion, starving with hunger and cold, and destitute of every necessary 
accommodation and attendance, to be visited with torturing pain or 
some loathsome disease ? Sure thou hast love enough for thy mo- 
ney, thy credit, thy friends, thy liberty, thy health, and in fine, thy 
life, to see that all these calamities befalling thee at once, would be 
indeed intolerable, to thee (at least) who hast no interest in God and 
heaven. But surely thou dost not think that all these calamities put 
together, and ten thousand times more aud greater, can give an ade- 
quate representation of that doleful place, which infinite wisdom 
hath contrived, almighty power prepared, and inexorable justice 
destined for the punishment of incorrigible transgressors ? 

Believe me, all the evils thou hast ever beheld with thine eyes, 
heard with thine ears, or conceived in thy heart, nay, all that thou 
couldst ever conceive, if thou wert to spend an eternity in doing 
nothing else, but devising forms of wo and changes of misery, if all 
collected together, and appointed to befall thy wretched self in one 
moment of time, would not furnish thee with an adequate idea of 
that future and everlasting ruin, in which (\i thy speedy repentance 
prevent not) thou must, ere long, lift up thy ghastly eyes, begging 



118 



THE FUTURE MISERY 



iu vain for a drop of water to cool thy tongue, because thou wilt 
be tormented in that flame. — And then, Eternity ! Eternity ! ah, 
to spend a never-ending eternity in such anguish ! To be " ages and 
ages, and succeeding still new ages," in that lake of fire, burning 
with brimstone, and after millions of ages are past and gone, still to 
have the wretched consolation of knowing that thy misery is no 
nearer an end, but all, as it were, to begin again ! Ah ! who can 
bear even to think of this ! The very thought of such wo is enough 
to make one's blood run chill, and fill one's soul with horror ! It 
is enough to make one's head giddy with fear, to look down that 
dark and fiery pit into which poor sinners are perpetually plunging, 
blinded and insensible, till the penetrating fire makes them feel, and 
the glaring flames of Tophet open their eyes to behold themselves 
undone for ever ! 

4. Ah! flee, sinner! flee from this wrath to come! — But stay, 
and first falling down on thy knees, solemnly praise God, that it is 
not yet too late. Thank him from thy inmost soul, that he has not 
yet cut thee down, and assigned thee thy portion in this place of tor- 
ment ! But oh ! dare not, at the peril of thy soul, tempt his long- 
suffering any longer ! — Bo not persist to provoke that fierce and 
almighty wrath which thy sins have already kindled against thee, 
and which (had not the precious blood of Christ been poured upon 
the flame) would long, ere now, have utterly consumed thy unholy 
soul, and made thee a monument of vengeance to others ! Do not, I say, 
persist to provoke an holy God, lest Christ should cease to interpose, 
and fiery indignation should, in an instant, blast all thy hopes, and 
devour thee as his adversary ! Consider how many years he has 
already interceded for thy barren soul, " Let him alone this year 
also." But alas '. hitherto he has prevailed in vain for thy reprieve, 
for to this day thou hast borne no good fruit. Still, still thou art 
only a cumberer of the ground ! And who knows whether he has 
not already put up the last prayer for thee, and commissioned me, 
by these terrors of the almighty, to dig for the last time about thy 
roots ! If thou bear fruit, it is well, but if not, if even this earth- 
quake of God's judgments do not shake thee; if after this Christ 
come seeking fruit on thee and find none, what remains, but that he 
say, " Let no fruit grow on thee from henceforth and for ever," or, 
" Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground ?" 



OF THE WICKED. 



119 



5. Therefore, delay do longer, but while thy glass of time is 
not yet run out; while the sun of divine love is not yet gone 
down upon thee ; while the long-suffering of God the Father still 
waits to be gacious : while the compassionate friend of sinners 
still intercedes for thee ; while the ever-blessed Spirit is not yet 
provoked to bid thee an eternal adieu, but still continues to strive 
with thee ; — in short, while there is yet any hope concerning thee 
among the blessed inhabitants of heaven, that thou mayest, after 
all, be saved ; or any fear concerning thee, among the fiends of 
hell, lest after all thou shouldst escape that place of torment ; be- 
fore the door of salvation is for ever shut against thee, before 
yawning Tophet has devoured, and closed its mouth upon thee. — 
Flee, sinner ; flee ; at the peril of thy soul, flee ! But, whence 
and whither shalt thou flee ? — Flee from thy sins, thy lukewarm- 
ness, thy unbelief; flee, to Calvary, to the cross, to Jesus, to the 
fountain opened in his side, to the blood and water which issue 
thence, " and arise, wash away thy sins, calling on the name of 
the Lord." Apply by faith in his blood, his merits, to thy guilty 
conscience ; receive by faith the sanctifying graces of his Spirit. 
Embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. 
Let thy conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ. Thus, 
believe and show thy faith by thy works, and as sure as he is 
the resurrection and the life, so sure, though thou wert dead, yet 
shall thou live> and living and believing in him, shalt not die 
eternally. 



SERMON VIII. 



ON 

THE WISDOM OF WINNING SOULS. 

PREACHED AT THE CONFERENCE HELD AT LEEDS, JULY, 
1793. AND PUBLISHED AT THE DESIRE OF THE 
PREACHERS. 



" He that rvinneth souls is wise." Prov. xi. 30. 

1. THIS is a book of Proverbs, or of wise and weighty sayings* 
many of which, although containing self-evident truths, and such 
as only need to be kuown that they may be approved, are never- 
theless as surprising as they are instructive and important. Al- 
though some of them might have been in use among the more wise 
and civilized parts of mankind for many generations, even from 
the time that men began to multiply upon the face of the earth, 
yet it is evident that most of them were first spokeu by Solomon. 
For God had given him " Wisdom and understanding exceeding 
much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea- 
shore : and his wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children 
of the East, and all the wisdom of Egy pt : insomuch that 11 all 
the earth sought unto him to hear his wisdom ; for bis fame was 
in all nations.' 1 * Now, it seems, he expressed his wisdom chiefly 
in uttering Apophthegms or Provevbs : for, according to the sacred 
historian, he spake three thousand Proverbs. These, some have 
thought, were collected and committed to writing by his servants 
who attended him, and heard his wisdom. But those contaiued 



* 1 Kings iv. 29. and x. '24. 



122 THE WISDOM OF 

in this book, which are, I believe, not quite a thousand, and 
might probably be a selection from the rest, were undoubtedly 
written by Solomon himself, and that, at the motion and under 
the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

2. Indeed they are worthy of him, the Spirit of truth, of wis- 
dom, and of grace, as their author, and are all of the nature of 
the fountain from whence they flow ; nor can we easily drink of 
these pure and transparent streams, without being at once en- 
lightened and refreshed. These Proverbs of Solomon contain 
the water of life, as well as other parts of the sacred volume; and 
with one peculiar advantage; we need not dig deep to arrive 
at it. Their seuse is, in general, obvious to the meanest capacity, 
and that at the first sight, and yet is not the less useful and im- 
portant for being so easily apprehended. Add to this, that they 
have a commanding influence over the mind an d heart ; and 
while they challenge the assent of the understanding, subdue the 
will, and win the affections. This perhaps may be intimated in 
the original term here translated Proverbs : For it is derived 
from a word that signifies to rule, or have dominion. 

3. The world, indeed, as a pious and judicious writer observes, 
is governed by Proverbs, " As saith the Proverb of the ancients,"* 
or, in the language of the vulgar. " As the old saying is," has 
much influence with most people. But there are Proverbs which 
tend to corrupt men's minds, and harden them in sin. For the de- 
vil, the world, and the flesh, have their proverbs. To guard us 
iigaiust the evil influence of these, let us consider and lay to heart 
these Proverbs of God, that are so salutary, and are intended as 
an antidote against the baleful effects of the other. For instance : 
Does Satan suggest that, " it is wise and commendable to give 
every man as good as he brings," and suffer no injury to pass un- 
icvenged ? To defend our minds against the pernicious tendency 
of this hellish maxim, let us remember, " That he that is slow to 
anger, is better than the mighty ; and he that ruleth his spirit, 
than he that taketh a city."f Does the flesh inculcate, " He is 
a wise man that does well to himself," that eats and drinks, and 
gratifies his appetites ? Nay, let us rather believe, insomuch as " If 
we live after the flesh we shall die;" " that although this way seem- 



* Sam. xxxiv. 13. 



f Prov. xvL 32. 



WINNING SOULS. 



123 



eth right unto a man, the end thereof is the way of death." Does 
the world preach, <« Gain all you can : for he is a wise man that 
gains wealth ?" As a preservative against this, let us be assured 
and lay it to heart, that, '< the fruit of the righteous is a tree of 
life and that he, rather, " that winneth souls is wise." 

4. By the righteous here, we are to understand those who are 
such, not in outward appearance only, but in reality; those to 
whom righteousness is imputed, in whom it is implanted, and by 
whom it is practised; in other words, those that are justified, rege- 
nerated, and rendered obedient to the holy will of God, by a faith 
working by love, These, by Isaiah, are termed, " Trees of 
righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified,' 1 * 
viz. by the fruit they bear. For *« herein," said Jesus, "is my 
heavenly Father glorified, that ye bring forth much fruit." And 
their graces and virtues, with the effect thereof in promoting the 
honour of God and the good of mankind, are the fruit they bear; 
such as their faith, hope, and love ; justice, mercy, charity ; their 
knowledge, zeal, diligence ; their example, instructions, reproofs, 
and prayers; their interest in heaven, and influence on earth. 
These are, as the fruit of the tree of life, precious and useful; 
being the means frequently, of preserving and rendering more use- 
ful even the present life ; and, which is of much greater moment, 
of communicating or increasing spiritual life, and of bringing men 
to the enjoyment of eternal life. 

5. Hence it appears, what great blessings good men are, in the 
places where divine Providence has cast their lot. They pro- 
duce abundance of fruit, like that of the tree of life. Nay, they 
even win souls. For the words may be rendered, with equal pro- 
priety, He that is wise winneth souls. And, understood in this 
sense, the latter part of the sentence may be considered as expla 
natory of the former, or as an enlargement of its meauing. Thus, 
the righteous produce fruit, like that of the tree of life : for being 
wise, they win souls. They are trees of knowledge, as well as of 
life; not forbidden, but commanded knowledge ; and by communi- 
cating their Avisdom, they win souls, and make them wise unto sal 
vation. However, I shall take the words in the sense of our trans- 
lation, He that winneth souls is wise, because when thus under- 
stood, they contain a proposition not only of the strictest truth, but 

* Isa. lxiii. 3. 



124 



THE WISDOM OF 



of the deepest importance ; and a truth peculiarly worthy of our 
serious consideration at this time, when we are met together in 
solemn conference, to consult respecting the ways and means of 
winning souls, and of enlarging the kingdom of Christ, and with a 
view to encourage one another to undertake and prosecute this 
blessed work faithfully. I hope therefore for your very serious 
attention, while we consider, 

I. What is implied in winning souls ? and when a soul may be 
said to be won ? 

II. In what way souls may be won, or the means to be used in 
winning them ? 

III. How it appears that it is wisdom to win souls ? 

IV. Who are concerned in this declaration ? Whose duty it is 
to win souls ? 

I. And first, consider we what is implied in winning souls, and 
when a soul may be said to be won ? 

1. This phrase, to win souls, does not occur, I think, again in 
scripture, and is capable of being understood in different senses. 
Some may consider the expression as meaning no more than to win 
the hearts and affections of others, so as to make them our true 
friends, sincerely attached to our interest. And it must be con- 
fessed, that there are cases in which to do this, is both lawful and 
commendable. If we ourselves be the real friends of God and 
mankind, and are employed in promoting the interest of the Re- 
deemer in the world, it is not a blameable, but on the contrary, a 
virtuous and praiseworthy conduct, to use every prudent and law- 
ful means of engaging the esteem and love of our fellow-creatures, 
that we may induce them to favour the cause in which we are 
embarked. In a sense somewhat similar to this, our Lord is to be 
understood when he commands us, to " make ourselves friends of 
the mammon of unrighteousness;" that is, by a proper use of the 
mammon or wealth, generally employed in an unrighteous manner, 
<{ that when we fail, they may receive us into everlasting habita- 
tions," may appear for us, bear witness to our good works, and bid 



WINNING SOULS. 



125 



us welcome into the heavenly regions. Now, if we may lawfully 
make ourselves friends, by our beneficence and liberality, with a 
view to our own happiness, we may much more do it, with a view 
to the glory of God. But nevertheless, inasmuch as the inspired 
penman, when he affirms, " He that winneth souls is wise," seems 
plainly to affirm an absolute and imiversal truth ; and it is not ab- 
solutely and universally true, that he who wins the affections of 
mankind, and makes them his friends, is wise ; therefore, we have 
reason to think this is not the meaning of Solomon in these words. 

2. For the same reason, by winning souls here, cannot be meant 
the inducing people to embrace our opinions ^ whether on religious, 
political, or any other subjects. It is true, if our opinions be scrip- 
tural, especially respecting the important matters of religion, we 
do those no small favour whom we persuade to embrace them. Yet 
still, as we have reason to believe there are few persons but what 
are entangled in some errors, and those perhaps of no small moment, 
it can never be affirmed, absolutely and universally, that he who 
winneth souls in this sense, that brings them over to his way of 
thinking, is wise. For if his sentiments be erroneous, and he induce 
others to embrace them, he may possibly be the cause of their 
everlasting damnation. For being entangled in error, they may 
also be led into sin, (all error having, more or less, a destructive 
tendency,) and of consequence into hell, and in the end their blood 
may be required at the hands of him who first misled them. So 
that before we use means to instil our opinions into others, we ought 
to be well assured that they have the sanction of reason and truth, 
lest we should be ignorantly administering poison instead of whole- 
•some food, and murdering those souls we meant to feed. In which 
case, as our plea of ignorance will be but a small recompense, and 
a poor support and consolation amidst their everlasting burnings, to 
those whom we have deprived of eternal life, and plunged into 
eternal death ; so neither will it be allowed before God as a suffi- 
cient excuse for our guilt. 

3. It will hardly be necessary, after what has just been advan- 
ced, to observe, that by winning souls, cannot be meant the bring- 
ing people over to the party with which we may happen to be con- 
nected. This, it will easily be discerned, may prove a blessing to 
them or a curse, according as the members of such a party are or 
are not the true followers of Christ. If they be such, to draw per- 



126 



THE WISDOM OF 



sons into Society and communion with them, may be the mean of 
saving their souls; for, "He that walketh with wise men shall 
be wise." They that u fear the Lord," and are united together in 
Christian fellowship, " speak often one^ to another," by way of in- 
struction, reproof, or consolation, as they appear severally to staud 
in need : yea, they " exhort one another daily," and the conse- 
quence generally is, not only that " the Lord hearkens and hears \ 
and a book of remembrance is written" but, by this they prevent 
an evil heart of unbelief from springing up in themselves and others, 
and preserve one another from being w hardened by ihe deceitful- 
ness of sin." On the contrary, as we are assured that e< a companion 
of fools shall be destroyed," if we be connected with fools, that 
is, sinners, continuing in sin, and not the real children of God, 
those whom we draw over to such a party, we draw to their ruin 
and destruction. So that in this case too, as well as in those before 
mentioned, it concerns us to consider well what we do. Let us 
take care that \?e be connected with the people of God, with those 
that are wise, holy, and virtuous ; and then, the more we induce to 
enter into fellowship with us, the better. For by having fellow- 
ship with the disciples, they will be introduced into fellowship 
with their Master ; and from union with those that are sanctified, 
they will aspire to an union with him that sanctifeth. And their 
union and communion with him on earth, will infallibly prepare 
them for, while it manifests their title to, everlasting fellowship 
with him in heaven. 

4. It appears, therefore, that it is a matter of no small moment 
to mn souls, even in this sense ; to bring them to be united with 
the children of God. This, however, is not what is primarily 
meant in our Text. It is not the drawing souls into union with the 
people of God, but into fellowship with God himself, that is here 
intended. In other words, it is the " turning of them from dark- 
ness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may 
receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them that are 
sanctified, by faith in Christ Jesus." By nature, men are in dark- 
less, and under the dominion of the Prince of darkness. They 
are the servants, the children, and in some sense, the property of 
Satan, who is the "god of this world, and worketh with energy 
ia the children of disobedience." " His servants ye are," said St. 
Paul, "whom ye obey." "Ye are of your father the devil 1 * 



WINNING SOULS, 



127 



said Jesus, to the unconverted Jews, "for his works ye do," 
Jews and Gentiles, yea, all mankind, while in an unrenewed state, 
are, according to the Scriptures, " dead in trespasses and sins, and 
children of wrath that is, under condemnation, and exposecfto 
the wrath of God. Now to win them is to bring them into the fa- 
vour and family of God, that being justified by his grace, born of 
his Spirit, and made his children, they may be constituted heirs 
according to the hope of eternal life, glorifying him in their bodies 
and spirits here, and prepared to be glorified with him hereafter. 

5. But it will be necessary more particularly to describe those 
that are thus won. And, 1st, They are enlightened hj the Spirit 
as well as Word of God, and made truly acquainted with them- 
selves. They are convinced of their sinfulness and guilt, their de- 
pravity, weakness, and misery ; in consequence of which they ex- 
perience that humiliation and sorrow for, and that hatred to sin, 
which constitute that " Repentance which is unto life, and which 
need not to be repented of." This never fails to be followed with 
fruits worthy of repentance* They " cease to do evil, and learn 
to do well," in all respects, as they have ability and opportunity. 
On the one hand they are " blameless and harmless, in the midst of 
a crooked and perverse generation and on the other, by their good 
works, they " shine as lights in the world." 

A 2nd particular, implied in the character of such souls as are 
won, is, they are enlightened with the saving knowledge cf Christ. 
He is revealed to them as to his person and offices, his humiliation 
and exaltation, his grace and glory, in such a manner, that renoun- 
cing all dependence on their own righteousness and strength, they 
trust only on his merit and Spirit, for pardon, holiness, and eternal 
life. Hereby they obtain an interest in him, and union with him, 
as their Prophet, Priest, and King, their Redeemer, Saviour, Head, 
and Husband; made of God unto them, wisdom, righteousness, 
sauctification, and redemption. 

In consequence of this, 3dly, as St. Peter testifies, they find him 
precious, they sincerely and fervently love him. Indeed, if they 
did not, they would want one very important branch of the charac- 
ter of such souls as are won. For, as grace and peace are the pro- 
perty of all those that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity,* so " if any 

' Eph.vi.24. 



]23 THE WISDOM OF 

man love him not, he is anathema ;" that is, under a curse : Mara 
natha, adds the Apostle, a Syriac expression, which means, The 
Lord cometh, viz. to execute that curse, and take vengeance upon 
him. And it is to be diligently observed, that this love is always 
productive of the fruits ascribed to it in the word of God, " He 
that hath my commandments," saith Jesus, '< and keepeth them, he 
it is that loveth me." They, therefore, that love him, and are truiy 
gained over from Belial to Christ, live to him. For " The love of 
Christ constraineth them" so to do. " None of them liveth to him 
self, and none of them dieth to himself ; but whether they live? 
they live unto the Lord, or whether they die, they die unto the 
Lord : living or dying, therefore, they are the Lord's." 

Hence it is, that, 4thly, as St. Paul testifies, they are new crea- 
tures. Old things are passed away, and all things are become new. 
For it is so natural for a man to live to himself, to make his own 
will his law, and his own honour, or interest, or pleasure, his end, 
in all his words and works, that if any man walk by another rule, 
viz. the divine will, and direct his actions to another end, viz. the 
glory of God, he must be born again, or renewed in the spirit of his 
mind. This, therefore, is an essential branch of the character of a 
soul that is won. He is " washed in the laver of regeneration, and 
renewed by the renewing of the Holy Ghost." He has " put off 
the old man, and put on the new, and is created in Christ Jesus unto 
good works." And this divine change, begun in his soul, must be 
increased and perfected. God having " predestinated him to be 
conformed to the image of his Son," he must " press to this mark, 
for the prize of his high calling of God in Christ Jesus ; forgetting 
the things that are behind, and aspiring after the things that are be- 
fore." It must be his ruling desire, and principal endeavour, so to 
follow Christ, that he may have in him the whole mind that was in 
Christ, and walk as he walked ; glorifying God by a holy, un- 
blameable, edifying conduct and conversation; and enduring with 
resignation and patience towards God, and meekness, gentleness, and 
long-suffering towards mankind, all the trials and troubles, injuries 
and affronts, which in the course of Providence he may meet with. 

II. I proceed now to consider, 2d!y, m what way souls may be 

won ? 



WINNING SOULS, 



129 



1 . By the metaphorical expression here used, in the original, the 
wise man seems to allude to the catching of birds, or jish, or the 
taking of a city strongly fortified. And, perhaps, without incur- 
ring the danger of being deemed very fanciful, I might make use 
of these comparisons to illustrate my subject. I might observe, that 
the minds of men while in their natural state, like birds, are light, 
inconstant and trifling, winged indeed, furnished with affections, 
that they may ascend towards heaven, but loading those affections 
with thick clay, with the love of sin and vanity, of money, honour, 
pleasure; with worldly desires and cares, and sinking down to 
earth, inconsequence of which, they are entangled in the mud and 
filth of it, and " caught alive in the snares of the devil, and led 
captive by him at his will," 

2. Now. in order that " God may give them repentance to the 
acknowledgment of the truth, that they may recover themselves 
out of Satan's snare," they must, 1st, be alarmed with faithful re- 
presentations of the danger they are in while unconverted. They 
must be given to know that, while in a fallen state, a state of igno- 
rance and sin, of guilt, depravity, and weakness, they are the sub- 
jects, the servants, nay, and the children of Satan ; joint-heirs with 
him of future wrath ; to which wrath it must be proved to them, 
they are continually exposed, being continually on the verge of 
death and eternity. When we have reason to believe they are 
awakened to a due sense of their danger, and brought to be seri- 
ously concerned about eternal things, they must, 2dly, be allured, 
by unfolding the precious promises of God, made to them, if in true 
repentance and faith they return unto him. A free and full pardon 
for all their past sins, the especial favour and love of God, adop- 
tion into his family, and regeneration by his grace, the in-dwelling 
of his sanctifying Spirit, and communion with him from day to day, 
together with his peculiar care and protection, must be set before 
them, and offered to them, " Avithout money and without price." 
These privileges they must be assured may be enjoyed on earth, 
while eternal life, felicity, and glory, are laid up for them after 
death, in the heavenly, everlasting kingdom of their God and 
Father. 

3. Again. That they may make more haste to embrace these 
blessings, they must, 3dly, be drawn with the cords of love, the 
Sov.- 1 of God in Christ Jesus, and the bands of a man, viz. solid 

R 



130 THE WISDOM OF 

reason and argument. " God so loved the world," must be our 
language, " that he gave his oniy-begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
** Herein," we must cry, " is love ; not that we loved God, but 
that he loved us, and made his only-begotten Son a propitiation for 
our sins." " For when we were under condemnation, and exposed 
to wrath, and without strength to help ourselves, in due time Ch.ist 
died for the ungodly." " Now scarcely for a righteous man," we 
must argue, " will one die : although peradventure for a good man 
some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love 
towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, We shall be 
saved from wrath through him." In this way did the apostles ad- 
dress themselves to the guilty, doubtful, and desponcliug cbilnren 
of men. Thus did they draw them unto the Lord Je^us, and bring 
them to experience the constraining power of love divine. Thus 
did Christ himself draw mankind unto himself. Being " lifted up" 
upon the cross for lost sinners, bei ig " wounded for their trans- 
gressions, and bruised for their iniquities, and bearing in his own 
body on the tree, the chastisement of their peace,' 5 he led them to 
reflect on their own sinfulness and guilt, and thus to judge that *< if 
one died for all, then were all dead : and that he died for all, that 
they who live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto 
him that died for them, and rose again." And in this we must 
imitate our Lord and his apostles. We must direct sinners to 
" behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world;" 
and to " look upon him whom they have pierced," that they may- 
mourn for those sins which were the causes of his sufferings, and 
vow to crucify those lusts, which crucified the Son of God. Ia 
the meantime, like him, his prophets and apostles, we must reason 
with them concerning the nature, excellency, and necessity of true 
religion, and demonstrate how little they will be « profited, if they 
should gain, even the whole world, and lose their own souls;" and 
show what a poor recompense any temporal acquisitions, however 
valued, and coveted, will be for the loss of heavenly riches ; and 
what a small consolation the recollection of past temporal pleasures 
will lie to them, while suffering the tortures of eternal pains. 

4. If after all they linger, they must, 4thly, be driven with the 
threatenings of the word of God as with a drawn sword. The 



WINNING SOULS, 



351 



iiery law of the Most High must be disclosed, flashing conviction 
into the guilty breast, and thundering forth its curses from Sinai, 
amidst blackness, and darkness, and tempest, upon the unholy and 
profane. Its precepts must be unfolded in all their spirituality, ex- 
tent, and obligation ; and its threatenings denounced in all their 
miseries and woes, against every violater of it. " Cursed," must 
we testify, " is every one that conlinueth not in all things that are 
written in the book of the moral law to do them." And lest they 
should suppose, that the gospel is less holy than the law, makes more 
allowance for sin, and shows more mercy to impenitent sinners, going 
on in their trespasses, — its more dreadful threatenings must also be 
declared, in all their awful and tremendous terrors. " He that, 
believeth not," we must bear witness, " shall be damned ;" 4k shall 
be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the 
Lord, and from the glory of his power." " For this," we must tes- 
tify, " is the condemnation," the reason of the just condemnation 
of those that perish, " that light is come into the world, and men 
love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." We 
must exhort them, therefore, " to give the more earnest heed to the 
things which they have heard, lest at any time they should let them 
slip. For if the word spoken by angels," (viz. the law delivered 
on Sinai, by their ministry) was steadfast, and every transgression 
and act of disobedience received a just recompense of reward, 
how shall they escape," we must demand, " who neglect so great 
salvation," as is offered in the gospel ? a salvation " which begun 
to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that 
heard him ; God also be-uiog witness both with signs and wonders, 
and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost ?" " He that despi- 
sed the law of Moses," we must remind them, " died without mercy, 
under two or three witnesses;" and we must leave them to judge, 
"of how much sorer punishment," it is certain, "they shall be 
thoujrht worthy, who trample under foot the Son of God, count 
the blood of the covenant a common thing, and do despite unto the 
Spirit of grace." " See then," we must urge, " that ye refuse not 
him that speaketh; for if they escaped not that turned away from 
him that spake on earth, much less shall we escape, if we turn away 
from him that speaketh from heaven ; whose voice," we must pro- 
ceed, "then shook the earth; but now he hath promised, saying, 
Yet once more I shake, not the earth only, but heaven also." Tlsiy 



132 



THE WISDOM OF 



time of terrible shaking, when Jehovah will arise in all his Rtotath, 
to " shake terribly the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land 3 
to shake all nations f and when he who ought to be " the desire of 
nations shall come, the second time without sin ; shall be re- 
vealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking 
vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of 
our Lord Jesus Christ :" — this awful day of final judgment, " Avhen 
the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall 
melt with fervent heat, and the earth, and all its w orks, shall be 
burnt up," must be displayed in all its terrors ; and " Who among 
you," we must ask, " can bear this devouring fire ? Who among 
you can dwell with these everlasting burnings ?" 

5. These awful discoveries are intended to drive men to Christ. 
" the hope set before them " that they may take sanctuary in him, 
as the man-slayer did in the city of refuge, when pursued by the 
avenger of blood. " But, if we find that instead of having this 
effect, they rather drive them from him, and that, viewing him as a 
Lawgiver and Judge, rather than as a Redeemer and Saviour, they 
are terrified under a sense of their sinfulness and guilt, and are 
afraid to approach him; we must endeavour to encourage them to 
" draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith." We 
must set before them discoveries of his boundless mercy and love, 
and of his infinite compassion for their manifold infirmities, and 
must give them assurances of a welcome reception, and of " grace 
to help in time of need." And we must exhort them, in dependence 
on this grace, to " strive to enter in at the strait gate : to work cut 
their salvation with fear and trembling; and to give all diligence 
to make their calling and election sure." 

6. That they may find no possible way of escaping, we must 
endeavour to close them in on all sides. The preachers of the gospel, 
we must remember, are " fishers of men," and the gospel they 
preach, is like " a net cast into the sea." This net, formed of the 
various doctrines, precepts, promises, threatenings, and exhortations 
of the word of God, we must make strong, by arguments drawu 
from all quarters, from nature, providence, and grace ; from things 
visible and invisible ; temporal and eternal ; and must unfold and 
spread it over the souls of men. And then, by applying the word 
which we have explained, must, as it were, " close the net upon 
them," that they may indeed be caught, so as not to escape ; and 



WINNING SOULS, 



133 



rnay be drawn out of the sea of this world, before it becomes a 
lake of fire burning with brimstone, to the land of life and immor- 
tality. 

7. To use one metaphor more, which also seems manifestly to 
be alluded to in the text : Souls must be won as a city, tower, or 
strong-hold, possessed and garrisoned, is won, when it is taken 
from the enemy. Satan has many strong-holds, in many particu- 
lar families, or individuals, whom, as having peculiar influence, 
through their learning, wealth, or authority, he labours hard to 
fortify with unbelief and sin, and to possess and garrison by a dia- 
bolical agency, that, through them, he may more easily sub- 
due and retain others in his power. JSTow even these forts, and 
towers, and citadels of the Prince of darkness, may be taken. 
M Compel them to come in," says Jesus : But how ? By fire and 
fagot? By persecution? No: but by reason and scripture, by 
the Word and Spirit of God, by faith aud prayer, " For the wea- 
pons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to 
the pulling down the strong-holds of Satan, and bringing every 
thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." 

8. Upon the whole, those that would win souls must first be 
deeply concerned to win them, from a sense of their immense 
value ; and this concern must appear in the whole of their deport- 
ment, in all their tempers, words, and works. This will induce 
them, on the one hand, to use their utmost efforts to accomplish 
an end they have so much at heart; and on the other, carefully 
to shun and guard agaiust whatever would obstruct the accomplish- 
ment of it. Secondly, They must show that they are won them- 
selves, and must give full proof of their conversion to God, and 
regeneration through his grace, by their deadness to sin, their 
heavenly dispositions of mind, and their watchfulness and circum- 
spect walking. They must be examples to mankind, in all holi- 
ness and righteousness, from day to day. They must, thirdly, 
use the means which God hath appointed, in order to this end, 
and in particular, reproof, exhortation, and doctrine. And as 
" Servants of the Lord, they must not strive," must not contend, 
but must " be gentle towards all men, patient, and apt to teach, 
in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God, per- 
adventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the 
truth ; that they may be saved," I shall only add here, that an- 



134 THE WISDOM OF 

J* ) 

other ayad. most important mean to be used is that of prayer, fer- 
vent, constant, persevering, and faithful prayer. For as to win- 
ning souls, of ourselves we can do nothing. * Nor by wisdom, 
nor by might," is this great work accomplished, " but by my 
Spirit, saith the Lord." " The help that is done upon earth he 
doeth it himself;" and he, accordingly, must be sought unto in ear- 
nest prayer, that he may do it. 

III. We come now to the third general head of discourse: 
The wisdom of winning souls. 

1st. They who win souls are wise, because they act according 
to the will of the infinitely wise God, and co-operate with him in 
the salvation of mankind. " It is not the will of your heavenly 
Father," said Jesus, the true and faithful interpreter of his Fa- 
ther's will, " that one of these little ones should perish." " He is 
not willing," said Peter, " that any should perish, but that all 
should come to repentance." " He willeth all men to be saved," 
testifies St. Paul, " and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 
Hence it was, that '« he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoso- 
ever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life 
yea, " he sent his Son into the world; not to condemn the world, 
but that the world through him might be saved." The salvation 
of souls, therefore, is a matter which God has infinitely at heart, 
and to accomplish which, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
" work hitherto." And he that is employed in winning souls, is, 
in this particular, a " worker together with God ;" which to be, 
as it is, an high honour, so it is also a great privilege ; and he 
that makes choice of it, manifests great wisdom, even a wisdom 
resembling the wisdom of God, of which, indeed, it is the bless- 
ed fruit and effect. 

Again, 2dly, He that winneih souls is wise, because he, in a pe- 
culiar manner, glorifies God. To glorify God, is to know and ac- 
knowledge the divine glories, or perfections, and to be suitably in- 
fluenced by them, as to our tempers, words, and works. Now as 
none will attempt to win souls who do not thus glorify God them- 
selves, so they bring the souls they win to glorify him too. In 
other words, being themselves " wise unto salvation," they are in- 
strumental in making others so. Fulfilling themselves the divine 
will, and complying with their indispensable duty, they prevail on 



WINNING SOULS. 135 

ethers to do the same. Embracing themselves the kiestim^We pri- 
vileges aad blessiogs of the gospel, they persuade others t6 em- 
brace them likewise. All which discovers great wisdom ; nor can 
any one doubt whether it be wise to win souls, unless he at the 
same time, doubt whether it be wise to glorify God, and bring 
others to glorify him ; which, ia effect, would be to doubt 
whether angels were wiser than devils. " The fear of the Lord," 
says the inspired penman, '* that is wisdom ; and to depart from 
evil, is understanding ;" and of consequence, to bring others to 
fear him, and to depart from evil, is a still higher degree of wis- 
dom and understanding. 

3. That they who win souls are wise, appears further in this : 
They recover to the great Creator his lost creatures, and to the 
heavenly Father his lost children. Before souls are won, they 
are lost, in many respects; — lost to God, whom they do not serve 
and glorify to their fellow -creatures, whom they do not edify ; 
and to themselves, not being either ho y or happy. But when they 
are won, they axe found; — found of God, whom they now glorify, 
answering the end of their creation and preservation ; — found of 
their fellow-creatures, to whom they aae now truly useful, and 
that in matters temporal as well as spiritual ; — and found of them- 
selves, being in Christ new creatures, and truly happy in commu- 
nion with God. Now, if it be a good, and therefore a wise action,, 
to bring back straying sheep or cattle, lost upon the wild moun- 
tains, to their rightful owner, and an action yet better and wiser 
to recover to a kind and indulgent father, his prodigal and lost 
children ; who can describe the wisdom of him that brings back 
to the great Creator and Parent of the universe, his rational and 
immortal offspring, that had at once dishonoured him, and render- 
ed themselves most wretched by wandering from him ? 

4. A further proof of the great wisdom of winning souls is found 
in this ; when souls are won, the Preserver and Benefactor of men, 
in whom they live, move, and have their being, and who spares 
them, and supplies their wants from day today, that they may turn 
and live to him, sees the end of his patience and long-suffering 
towards them at length answered, and receives due praise for his 
many and undeserved benefits. Now if it be an act of kindness 
to a neighbour, and therefore of wisdom, to bring his disobedient 
servant, whom he had long fed and clothed, and whose wants he 



136 THE WISDOM OF 

had supplied, to a sense of his duty to his master, and to induce 
him to perform the service due to him, to whom he is engaged, 
and by whom he has been supported; it is, surely, an instance of 
abundantly greater wisdom, 10 engage the rational creatures of God 
to become faithful servants of their divine Master. 

5. The wisdom of winning souls will appear in a yet more stri- 
king light, if we consider that the souls that are won, are not ODly 
creatures of God, made, and preserved, and provided for by him, 
but also his purchase, bought with a price of immense value ; " re- 
deemed, not with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but 
with the precious blood of the Son of God." To estimate, there- 
fore the wisdom of winning them, is to estimate the value of the 
blood shed for their redemption. Now this, it is well known, is of 
infinite worth, as being the blood of a person of infinite dignity. 
Unspeakable, therefore, is the wisdom of winning souls, whereby 
the Redeemer is put in possession of the purchase of his blood, 
and sees the fruit of the travail of his soul, and of his extreme suf- 
ferings. 

6. Again : As the souls and bodies of men are the purchase of 
the blood of Christ, so ate they designed to be the temples of the 
Holy Ghost, being made for this end. " Know ye not," says St. 
Paul to the believers at Corinth, " that ye are the temple of God a 
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ?" And again, '* Know 
ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is 
in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" And 
yet again, "Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath 
said, I will live in them, and walk in them." But let it be obser- 
ved, this is spoken only of real christians, of souls truly wen. 
They, and only they are, strictly speaking, the temple of God., 
and have the Spirit of God dwelling in them. As to all others, al- 
though marie, preserved, and redeemed, to be God's temples, and » 
habitation of the Holy One. by his Spirit, yet they are not so in 
reality : they are rather temples left desolate, and buildings in ruins. 
But as soon as they are won, they are rebuilt, adorned, and inha- 
bited by the God of glory. He, therefore, that wins souls is 
wise; for he is an instrument in the hands of God, of rebuilding 
and beautifying these spiritual temples, and of preparing the Avay 
of the King of Glory to the throne on which he most desires to sir 
and reign, the broken and contrite heart of the humble penitent. 



WINNING SOULS. 137 

7. As a still further proof of the wisdom of winning souls, let it 
be observed, that when souls are won, rational and immortal crea- 
tures, perishing in iguorance and sin, in depravity, weakness, and 
misery, are saved. They escape their present impurity and guilt, 
and attain holiness and happiness ; and persevering in the ways of 
God, they obtain everlasting felicity of soul and body. How 
great then is the wisdom of winning souls! Were it only the curi- 
ous machine of man's body, so fearfully and wonderfully made, that 
was rescued from death and corruption, it would be a great acqui- 
sition. How much greater and more important a salvation is that 
of a rational and immortal soul, capable of such high degrees of 
wisdom, holiness, and happiness, through the countless ages of eter- 
nity! To save a perishable jewel, of comparatively small value, 
from the filth of a dunghill, and place it in the crown of a monarch ; 
and much more, to restore a darling child from a noisome and dan- 
gerous disorder to ease and health, would be deemed a wise and 
worthy action, although that ease and health, like all things here 
below, were but to last for a short season. But to snatch such a 
child from the jaws of a lion, the paws of a bear, or from a raging 
fire, although with great danger to one's self, would be judged an 
act of still greater Avisdom and importance ; and yet that lion, that 
bear, or that fire, would but have devoured, in momentary pain, 
the infant's body. Its soul would have escaped, through the rage 
of the flames, or the teeth of the ravenous beast, to rest and hap- 
piness. What then shall we think of the salvation of the whole 
man, body and soul, from " the vengeance of eternal fire f — from 
" the worm that dieth not, and the (lames that shall not be quench- 
ed ;" from the indignation and wrath of the incensed Deity, and 
the tribulation and anguish consequent thereupon ? Who can de- 
scribe, or even conceive the wisdom of this ? Who can form any 
adequate idea of the importance of such an action ? 

8. Indeed, when souls are won; nay, when one lost sinner is 
brought to God, the gain is so great, that joy is given even to the 
angels of God. " There is joy," said Jesus, "in the presence of 
the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." How much 
more over many, over hundreds, thousands, and myriads ! How 
important then, must those divinely illuminated and inconceivably 
wise intelligences know the salvation of souls to be ! And how wise 
piust they judge him, who chooses, in preference to every other 

s- 



138 



THE WISDOM OF 



calling, to be employed in saving souls, and feels no care equal to that 
of being found faithful and successful in his high and holy calling ! 
Surely those morning stars, the first-born sons of Jehovah, who 
sang his praises together at the birth of nature, and shouted for joy 
at the first appearance of a world which was to be the dwelling- 
place of immortal minds, while clothed with clay : — Surely, those 
wise and intelligent inhabitants of the heavenly regions, who have 
viewed with continued attention, the various and stupendous works 
of their mighty Maker, works of providence and grace, as well as 
of creation, for six thousand yf ars, would not be moved with a 
light matter, nor find their large and enlightened spirits suddenly 
swell and overflow with joy at the sight of a trivial event ! Surely, 
no facts, but such as are of the greatest magnitude, can have any 
influence on their comprehensive and exalted minds! And yet, be- 
hold, these eldest and most experienced sons of the everlasting Je- 
hovah, bursting forth in ecstatic joy and praise, at the conversion of 
one single sinner ! Of what great worth, then, are immortal souls, 
in the judgment of those best capable of judging; and how wise is 
the man who considers the saving of them as the most important 
business he can be employed in on earth ? 

9. Permit me to mention two or three considerations more on. 
this head. Souls are rarely, if ever won, but much ignorance, sin, 
and misery, is prevented, even in others, especially among the 
relations, friends, and neighbours, or acquaintances of the persons 
thus brought to God ; and if they be not converted, they are 
at least civilized. And this is an acquisition of no small moment. 
But the matter rarely stops here. The souls won will be instru- 
mental in winning others; and these again will gain others; and 
who can say where the progress of this good work will end ? JSTay, 
it will never end, at least while the world subsists ! It will continue 
and increase till time shall be no more : and the effects of it will 
remain to all eternity ! For, " the kingdom of God is like unto lea- 
ven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till 
the whole was leavened." And again ; « The kingdom of God is 
like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his 
field, which, indeed, is a small seed, but when it is grown, it is the 
greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree ; so that the birds of the 
air come and lodge in the branches thereof," 



WINNING SOULS. ] 39 

10. Wow all this will redouud to our benefit. Hereby, first, our 
joy and happiness must be increased in the great day of the Lord. 
To meet so many souls in glory would afford unspeakable pleasure, 
even if others had been the instruments of bringing them to God ; 
how much more to know and be assured that God had blessed our 
endeavours for the effecting that great and glorious work, and that 
we were the spiritual Fathers of that numerous progeny begotten 
by the gospel. Secondly, we shall certainly meet with returns of 
gratitude, love, and kiudness, from the souls thus won, in a way we 
at present know nothing of ; and perhaps, too, shall receive bene- 
fits from them, of a nature of which we can now form no concep- 
tion. Undoubtedly they will consider themselves as laid under 
infinite and everlasting obligations to us for having, under God, 
rescued them from boundless and eternal torments. They will 
therefore be our everlasting friends, and in every way in their 
power, will show us everlasting kindness. Add to this, thirdly, 
that we shall receive, from the Lord, positive rewards of glory 
and happiness, according to the number of souls we have w 7 on* or 
rather according to the zeal we have manifested, and the pains we 
have taken, in endeavouring to win them. For " the Lord is not 
unfaithful to forget our work and labour of love which we show 
towards his name," but "every man shall receive his own reward, 
according to his own labour." And then, fourthly, the gratitude 
and love which we shall find overflowing our souls towards God, 
for using us as instruments in his hands, of such great good to our 
fellow-creatures, will be an everlasting spring of holiness and hap- 
piuess to us. So that, in every point of view, whether we consi- 
der ourselves or others, the glory of God, the good of mankind, 
or our own advantage, it appears evident to a demonstration, that 
" he that winneth souls is wise." 

11. And, if so, then what shall we say of him that deslroycth 
souls ! that so far from gaining them to God, by his conversation 
or behaviour, drives them from him ? May we not say that lie is 

foolish ? Certainly we may ; and his folly is such as no words can 
possibly describe. He co-operates with Satan, the most subtle, in- 
deed, but at the same time the most foolish being in the universe 
of creatures. Instead of glorifying God, as was his duty and 
interest, and therefore his wisdom, he dishonours him in a very 
high degree. In proportion to the number of souls he destroys, 



140 



THE WISDOM OF 



he robs the Creator of his rational creatures, and the Parent of 
the universe of his immortal offspring : Yea, and the Son of God 
of the purchase of his most precious blood. He deprives the Lord 
and Master of men and angels, who is also the continual Preser- 
ver, and bountiful Benefactor of the human race, of the gratitude 
and love, of the obedience and service, so justly due to him from 
those he daily preserves, and whose wants he amply supplies. 
Aud he prevents the Holy Spirit of God from entering into, or 
banishes him out of his own temples : Way, he destroys the tem- 
ples themselves, and lays the sanctuaries of Jehovah, the habita- 
tions of his holiness, level with the ground, making the sacred 
houses of God heaps of ruins. 

12. Further. He destroys the immortal souls of men, and 
throws the rational offspring of the Deity into the jaws of the in- 
fernal lion, and into the raging flames of everlasting fire. He, 
therefore, causes grief to angels of light, and all the benevolent 
inhabitants of heaven, while he gratifies and gives hellish pleasure 
to Satan, and his cursed associates in rebellion. For, besides that 
he prevents the salvation of such as would have been saved, had 
cot he thrown obstructions in their way, he increases the sin and 
wickedness of such as were, and would still have remained the ser- 
vants of the devil. And all this will redound to his own loss, his 
dishonour and misery, in the great day of God. When he shall be 
compelled to entertain a just and comprehensive view of the great- 
ness of his guilt, in being the cause of the everlasting destruction 
of so many souls, the blood of which, (as the scripture speaks) will 
be required at his hands ; he will be filled with inexpressible con- 
fusion, amazement, and terror. And then the souls he has undone, 
and rendered eternally miserable, will bear towards him everlast- 
ing hatred, will pour eternal curses upon his head, and exert all 
their powers to add to his misery. Like infernal fiends, they will 
employ an endless eternity in tormenting one to whom, under Satan, 
they owe their own torments. And, through the wise permission 
of divine justice, they will, no doubt, have it in their power to take 
an ample vengeance for the everlasting loss which they have sus- 
tained, and the endless torments into which they are plunged. 
Add to this, that God himself will not fail to render positive pu- 
nishment unto such, according to their deeds ; even " indignation 
and wr.\th, tribulation and anguish," as a recompense for the eyil 



WINNING SOULS. 141 

they have done, in drawing so many of his rational and immortal 
creatures iuto final ruin and destruction. But I forbear to proceed. 
I hope it is not necessary I should add any more. If we have but 
a proper idea of the wisdom of ?vinning souls, we cannot be insen- 
sible of the folly of destroying them. May the wisdom of the for- 
mer, and the folly of the latter, appear to our minds in a more 
striking and affecting light daily ; and may our whole conduct be 
duly and continually influenced therebj ! 

IV. But whom does this subject concern ? Whose office and 
duty is it to win souls ? 

ti In answer to this inquiry, let it be observed, this subject con- 
cerns some persons in an especial manner: as, first, ministers of 
the gospel. It is their peculiar duty to win souls. To tliis work 
they are called of God and man. To this they are dedicated and 
set apart, in the presence of God and his people. This they have 
voluntarily undertaken, and promised to perform, to the utmost of 
their power. For this they have, if not a plentiful income, or a 
handsome salary, at least a maintenance, and the supply of their 
daily wants. Aud for this, lastly, they have peculiar advantages, 
being happily excused from worldly cares aud labours, and at liberty 
to devote their whole time to it. They, therefore, are inexcusable, 
if they do not win souls ; at least, if they do not labour to win 
them, employing for this purpose their time and talents from day 
to day, with zeal, fidelity, and diligence, being instant in season 
and out of season; depending, however, for success, not on their 
own endeavours, but wholly on the presence and grace of him w ho 
hath said, " Without me ye can do nothing." 

2. Parents are peculiarly concerned here. They, under God, 
have giveu being to their children, and are, of course, in an espe- 
cial manner, entrusted with the care of them ; and they are under 
many and great obligations to do all in their power to win their 
scuis. Indeed, how, under a conviction of the truth of Chris- 
tianity, they can be easy without doing this, is hard to say. To 
be persuaded there is a future aud everlasting state of happiness 
and misery, and to see our own children, the offspring of out bodies^ 
in the highway to miss of that happiness, and drop into that mise- 
ry, and not endeavour to stop them, is surely an argument of a 
thoughtless or unfeeling heart! What sort of a father is he, that 



142 



THE WISDOM OF 



would not venture his life to rescue his children from devouring 
fire, or from the teeth of a raging wild beast ? What then shall we 
think of him, who stands by, and looks quietly on, while the grand 
adversary of men, as a roaring lion, swallows them up quick, and 
while Tophet opens its mouth and takes them in, transmitting both 
body and soul to everlasting burnings ! If he be worse than an in- 
fidel, that does not endeavour to provide for his own household, in 
temporal matters, and use every lawful means to procure food aud 
clothing for those dependent upon him, what is he that does not 
study to make provision for the spiritual and tverlasting welfare 
of his own offspring; but, after having brought them into existence, 
suffers them to perish, and be eternally tormented in the flames of 
hell, without one drop of water to cool their tongues ? Surely the 
name of a savage brute is too good for such a monster of cruelty ! 

3. Not only ministers aud parents, but masters are also espe- 
cially concerned here. Their servants, whether apprentices, jour- 
neymen, hired servants, or even day-labourers, while employed in 
their service, are entrusted to their care; and God, and reason, 
require that they should attend to the welfare of their servants* 
souls, as well as pay them their wasres, and provide for the main- 
tenance of their bodies. This will more especially appear to be 
their duty, if it be considered, that while servants perform for their 
masters the low and laborious offices of life, they are prevented 
from spending much time in reading, hearing, and other means of 
instruction ; and that their masters, in the meantime, are left more 
at liberty to pursue the nobler end of human life, and treasure up 
divine knowledge aud grace, with w hich to enrich themselves and 
their families. Add to this, that being in general elder, and more 
experienced as well as more knowing, than their apprentices and 
servants, and bein^ their superiors, they have authority over them, 
and great advantages, many ways, for communicating instruction 
to them; and for these advantages they will undoubtedly be made 
to give an account. 

4. Next to parents and masters, I might mention magistrates, 
who are continually termed by the most ancient writers, profane 
as well as sacred, the pastors or shepherds of their people; a most 
just and significant appellation, which implies, that it is their office 
to provide for and superintend the welfare of their subjects. But 
as it is not likely that my discourse should reach the ears of many 



WINNING SOULS. 



143 



of these, and as it would be of no service to us to be made ac- 
quainted with the duty of our superiors, while we are ignorant of 
our own; I proceed to say, that this subject concerns us all. For 
it is the duty of all men to win souls ; or, at least, to use their ut- 
most endeavours to win them. And accordingly, as has been ob- 
served, the words of our text are with equal propriety rendered, 
He that is wise winneth souls. For, it must be considered, that it 
is not only a point of wisdom to win souls; but he who is mse y 
that is, in the language of scripture, who is righteous, will Avin 
them. His spirit and conduct, his dispositions and actions, b°ar 
witness to the truth, and at once manifest to others what Christianity 
is, and invite them to become christians. Add to this, that as he 
has ability and opportunity, he will not fail to drop a word for 
God, will speak to Others, in praise of that Saviour he so sincerely 
and dearly love;, and will recommend to them that pure and unde- 
nted religion, which he finds to be such a source of consolation to 
his own soul. Pie will reprove sin, exhort to obedience, commu- 
nicate information to the ignorant, respecting the great truths, pri~ 
vileges, and duties of the gospel; and will tell such as fear God. 
for their encouragement, " what God hath done for his soul."' His 
discourse will be serious, instructive, and edifying, and will conti- 
nually minister grace to the hearers; tending both to bring lost 
sinners to God, and to preserve those that are already brought to 
him. So that we are none of us unconcerned in this matter. We 
must all remember, that it is an essential part of the character of 
a truly wise or righteous person, man or woman, to win souls ; and 
that no one is, perhaps, truly wise or righteous, before God, who is 
not more or less successful in this way. 

5. xfay, this is not all. It is not only certain that he, who 
having time and opportunity for it, does not win souls, is not 
truly wise or righteous, but according to our Lord, he that doe? 
not win them, will destroy them. For *' he that is not for me," 
said that true and faithful Witness, " is against me; and he that 
gathereth not with me, scattereth." And that this is, and must 
be the case, is evident to a demonstration, to any considerate 
mind. For, as he who is truly wise and righteous will, by his 
conversation and behaviour, "shine as a light in the world," and 
ether?, "•seeing his good works," will imitate the same, and " glo- 
rify their heavenly Father :" So he that is of a contrary spirit 



144 



THE WISDOM OF 



and conduct, will, in a similar way, propagate his own likeness, 
and spread profaneness and immorality, as far as his influence 
can reach : like a person that has the plague, he will, more or 
less, infect all that are about him, and make them unholy and 
unrighteous as he is. So that there is no standing neuter in this 
affair. If we will not be employed for Christ, — Satan, will employ 
us. If we will not work in Christ's vineyard, and plant the trees 
of righteousness, or water what others have plan ed, we shall be 
occupied in the barren and dry heaths of the wilderness, in pos- 
session of the god of this world, aud shall contribute to the growth 
of thorns and briers, those roots of bitterness, which are so ready 
to spring up and trouble many. And then, after destroying the 
souls of others, we shall lose our own ; and the blood of the souls 
we have destroyed will be required at our hands. 

6. And now, ray brethren, our time is gone, otherwise I meant, 
before I concluded, to have called your attention to the amazing 
and everlasting importance of this doctrine, aud to have exhorted 
you diligently to consider and lay it to heart. These things are 
either true or false. If they be false, let them meet with that in- 
attention and disregard which they merit. But if they be true, 
as I am confident you know them to be, then how deeply, nay, 
how infinitely do they concern us all, aud especially those of us 
who have taken upon us the solemn aud important office of preach- 
ing the gospel ? Surely we, at least, shall be inexcusable, if we 
do not prosecute this business faithfully, and make it our chief 
concern every day to win souls. Added to the obligations that 
lie upon us, in common with others, to be diligent in this work, 
you see the nature of our office lays us under other and peculiar 
engagements. Let us, therefore, especially attend to it. Let it 
be our sincere and fervent desire, and our daily endeavour, to 
win souls. That we may but accomplish this great and blessed end 
of our important calling, let us not account our ease, our honour, 
our liberty, or even our lives, dear unto ourselves. Let us be 
willing to engage in any labour, to undergo any fatigue, and to en- 
dure any hardship or suffering, so we may but " fulfil the minis- 
try we have received of the Lord Jesus,'' and save immortal 
souls from everlasting death. 

7. Let us regard success in this work above all other considera- 
tions whatever. Iodeed, other considerations, in the line of life 



WINNING SOULS. 



145 



we have chosen, there are none which can have any weight with a 
thinking mind. Prospects of gain we have not : our excellent plan 
allows us only the supply of our necessary wants, and indeed, hardly 
that. Preferment we cannot expect, except from our great Master, in 
consequence of our discharging our duty faithfully. Honour and 
applause are equally out of our reach, unless among the few poor 
people to whom we minister. We are, therefore, compelled, 
even by our situation, to act in this business from pure motives, 
if we act at all, or act rationally. Let these motives, then, the 
only motives which are justifiable, or worthy of regard, be 
allowed to have their full weight with us, and let us abandon the 
very idea of any other. Let who will enter upon, and pursue 
this sacred calling, with a view to ease, honour, or interest, let 
our end be only the glory of God, in the salvation of souls. This 
is the only end we can reasonably hope to attain, others being all 
precluded ; and this, which infinitely excels all others, blessed be 
God, we may attain. In some, yea, in a great degree, it has 
been attained already by many of you ; especially by you, my 
fathers and brethren, who are old in the work. You have won 
many souls, and hereby God has been greatly glorified, while 
thousands of mankind have been, or shall be, eternally benefited. 
Go on, then, my dear, and much esteemed brethren, as you have 
begun, and persevered hitherto; only, if possible, with greater 
diligence than ever, ruaning faster, as your race grows shorter; 
and, as far as the decay of your health and strength will allow, 
labouring harder in proportion as your time for labour hastens to 
a period. And let those of us that are younger, and those that 
have but lately given themselves up to the w ork, emulate the zeal, 
and activity of our elder brethren, and strive to exceed even them 
in labours and success. In so doing we shall provoke, not their 
envy, but their love. Let us learn of them, and that more and 
more perfectly every day, the happy art of saving souls. In 
order hereto, let us make ourselves better acquainted than ever, 
with God, and Christ, and the Scriptures ; as also with human 
nature, the deceitfulness of sin, and the various wiles of the devil. 
And as practice makes perfect, let us labour to become, daily, 
greater proficients in this blessed business of winning souls, by 
daily endeavouring to win them. Let us "give attendance to 
reading, to instruction, to exhortation." Let us * preach the word; 

T 



146 



THE WISDOM OF 



be instant in season and out of season ; convince, rebuke, and ex- 
hort, with all long-suffering and doctrine. Let us meditate on these 
things, and give ourselves wholly to them, that so our profiting may 
appear unto all.'* 

8. And let us not confine our instructions, reproofs, or exhorta- 
tions, to the pulpit, and the large assemblies of God's people; as if 
souls were only to be won in public, and it were beneath us to 
labour much to save them, unless we saw a prospect of saving 
several at once. Let us remember what pains oar Lord and Mas- 
ter took with one, single, sinful woman, at Jacob's well, — as well 
as with divers other individuals in private : and let us teach from 
house to house, as well as publicly. Let us speak for God as we 
have opportunity, instructing, advising, rebuking, exhorting, those 
we come in company with, or cau have access to. And let us water 
the seed sown with continual and fervent prayer, that God may 
cause it to spring up, and bear fruit to his glory. 

9. Upon the whole ; let us all, preachers and hearers, see that 
we have this blessed and important work at heart, and use every 
mean in our power to promote it ; looking unto God alone, and not 
to any efforts of ours, for success. Let parents, masters, magis- 
trates, nay, and subjects, children, and servants, conspire together, 
to help it forward. Let us all endeavour to improve our several 
stations and situations in life, with the various talents and advan- 
tages entrusted to our management, to the attainment of this most 
desirable end. Let all be pressed into this service, and made to 
minister to the salvation of souls. Whatever influence our piety, 
virtue, learning, knowledge, eloquence, wealth, honour, pre-emi- 
nence, authority, or any other gift or endowment give any of us* 
let it be employed for this purpose ; let it be laid at the feet of 
Christ, and dedicated to his praise, in promoting the great work for 
which he came into the world, and for which he shed his precious 
blood. Let us not think it too much to bestow a little care, labour, 
or money, upon that for which he was pleased to give up his life. 
And let us uot fail to second and enforce all our endeavours, this 
way, by a conduct according to the gospel. Let our example 
speak, and show others, what it is to be won over to God, and how 
such ought to walk and please him in all things. Thus let us " show 
forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into 
his marvellous light," by imitating him who il came to seek and 



WINNING SOULS. 



147 



3ave that which was lost,'' and who " went about doing good 
And " our labour will not be in vain, in the Lord." He will, 
undoubtedly, give success, more or less ; and being the children of 
God ourselves, we shall rejoice over many lost brethren and sisters 
in Christ, brought back to their heavenly Father's family. These 
will be our companions here, in our way to the kingdom, and our 
crown of rejoiciog in the kingdom itself hereafter. They will sur- 
round, with us, the eternal throne, and spend everlasting ages in 
shouting " salvation to God and the Lamb," and ascribing " bless- 
ing, and honour, and praise, and glory, to him that hath loved them, 
and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and made them 
kiDgs and priests unto God and his Father." 



I 



SERMON IX. 



ON THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF THE LATE 

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 

PREACHED BEFORE THE CONFERENCE AT MANCHESTER, 
JULY 26, 1791, AT THEIR FIRST ANNUAL MEETING 
AFTER HIS DEATH. 



HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH. 



Remember them that had the rule over you, who spake to you the 
word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their 
conversation. Hebrews xiii. 7. 

1. I MAKE no apology for reading the passage thus, though 
not quite according to our common translation, because that must 
appear improper even to an English reader, as being manifestly 
contradictory to itself. For it supposes the persons here referred 
to, to be dead, and yet speaks of them as now presiding over the 
Hebrews. Bishop Lloyd, in his funeral sermon for bishop Wilkins. 
gives it as his opinion that the words may refer to the two James's* 
viz. James the elder, the Son of Zebedee, the brother of John, who 
was beheaded by Herod in the year of our Lord 44, and James 
the less, the son of Alpheus or Cleophas, the brother, that is, the 
kinsman of our Lord, who also, it seems, was taken hence before 
the writing of this epistle, suffering martyrdom, as is supposed, 
in the year 62. And when it is considered that both of these 
apostles had resided at Jerusalem, and had had the oversight of 



150 



THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF 



the church there, and that the latter James had been removed only 
a few months when this epistle was written, having been preserved 
to instruct and oversee the Hebrew Christians almost twenty years 
after the death of the former, it must appear highly probable that 
the bishop is right in his conjectures. At the same time, however, 
the apostle expresses himself in such a manner as to include all, 
who, under the direction of these apostles, had spoken the word of 
God to the Hebrews, and had presided in their assemblies. 

2. But as no scripture is of any private or particular interpreta- 
tion, but is intended to be of general use, may we not consider 
this apostolic advice as given to ourselves, with a reference to those 
eminent servants of God whom the Lord has lately removed from 
among us, viz. the Rev. John Fletcher, the Rev. Charles Wesley, 
and the Rev. John Wesley ? men famous in their day, and eminently 
distinguished in the churches, for their abilities, their labours, and 
their success in spreading the gospel of the grace of God. In par- 
ticular, we seem, on this occasion, to be called upon to remember 
the person last mentioned, who, though the first of them in the 
work, and more advanced in age than either of the others, was yet 
spared to outlive them both, and almost all his contemporaries, and 
was under God our father and overseer; who presided over us and 
spake to us the word of God for above half a century, and whose 
presence amongst us at these meetings was of peculiar use and 
importance to us. 

3. Indeed, him we cannot but remember^ especially now, when 
we find such a want of his pareotal instruction, advice, and autho- 
rity. However, while we bewail the loss we have sustained, and 
lament the day when the Lord took away our head from us ; and 
while we humble ourselves before God for our great unfaithfulness, 
and misimprovemeDt of our privileges, let us not forget how long 
he lent his honoured servant to us, and to what an advanced age 
he lengthened out his useful life. A^id while we praise him for this, 
as well as for many other instances of his undeserved kindness to 
the community with which we are united, let us earnestly pray that 
he would sanctify the dispensation, and in some degree make up 
our loss, by causing a large measure of his Spirit to descend upon 
all his servants before him, employed in publishing the gospel of 
his grace ! 



THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY. 



151 



4. As my intention in this discourse is to recommend the faith 
of our departed Father to your imitation, it will not be foreign to 
my purpose to endeavour to bring to your remembrance, — 

I. A few particulars that respect his life and character as a 
man, as a scholar, as a christian, and as a minister of Christ, a 
shepherd and bishop ef souls. This, I hope, will prepare the way 
for your receiving more favourably, — 

II. The exhortation I purpose giving you to follow his faith, — . 
considering, 

III. The end of his conversation. 

And, first , I am to remind you of a few particulars that respect 
the life and character of that great man, 

1. Though the true faith of our Lord Jesus Christ may cer- 
tainly be found, and often is fouud, in persons of small intellectual 
abilities, yet it must be owned that it appears in such to great dis- 
advantage. Their ideas of the great doctrines of the gospel are 
neither clear nor distinct, nor are they able to arrange them in pro- 
per order, for the improvement of their own knowledge, or the 
edification of others. The precious truths of Christianity lie in 
their minds like gold, or silver, or precious stones in the earth, 
mixed with much dross, and in great disorder. In persons of 
greater discernment and of a more enlarged mind and refined taste, 
they may be compared to precious stones cut and polished, and set 
in tablets of gold, or to gold and silver refined from their dross, 
and formed into beautiful and useful vessels. Such was our late 
Rev. father and pastor, a man of a most comprehensive mind and 
sublime genius. His judgment was clear, his fancy lively, his 
reason strong, and his memory tenacious. No man could be better 
qualified by nature for discerning the truth, or for representing it 
to others in the most clear and convincing point of view. 

2. And he had every help which education could well give him. 
He was perfect in those ancient languages in which the holy scrip- 
tures were originally written, and particularly so in Greek, the 
original language of the New Testament. This, as a tutor, he 
taught many years at Oxford, and, it seems, Hebrew also, if not 



152 



THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF 



publicly and professionally, at least to some individuals in private. 
For we find the late Rev. James Hervey, in one of his letters to 
Mm, thanking him, as for many other favours, so especially " for 
teaching him Hebrew." He understood several of the modern 
tongues, as French and German. He excelled in Logic, was well 
skilled in Natural Philosophy, as his many volumes published on 
that subject show, and was an accurate historian. And what per- 
haps affords yet greater help towards the discovery of truth, than 
any of the branches of literature already mentioned, as tending to 
habituate a person to think closely upon a subject, and to distin- 
guish between probability and certainty, he was well read in 
Mathematics, especially in those branches of them which have the 
nearest relation to usefulness in life. As to divinity, I need say 
nothing. His voluminous writings show how much he had studied, 
and how well he understood that subject. 

3. But it will be objected here, and that with great reason, that 
all these and such like endowments, are not sufficient to qualify a 
man for understanding the truth as it is in Jesus. It will be urged, 
that the " natural maw," (*t> #<*e?, the man who has indeed a rational 
soul in his body, but no divine inspiration in his soul,) " discerneth 
not the things of God, nay, that they are foolishness unto him, and 
that he caunot know them because they are spiritually discerned 
and that u the things of God knowelh no man but by the Spirit of 
God." This is freely granted, and therefore his natural abilities, 
and his advantages of education, would not have been so much as 
hinted at in this discourse, could we not have given, also, good 
proof, that " He that commanded light to shine out of darkness, had 
shined into his heart to enlighten him with the knowledge of his 
glory in the face of Christ Jesus." 

4. It is well known to this congregation, that although he had 
been strictly educated, and was unblameable as to his outward con- 
duct from a child, yet it was not till about the twenty-second year 
of his age, when he was pressed by his father to enter into holy 
orders, that he became acquainted with the nature and necessity 
of inward religion. By reading that incomparable book, Thomas 
a Kempis's Christian Pattern, which a kind Providence threw in 
his way, he was brought to see that true religion is seated in the 
heart, and that to be renewed in the spirit of our mindsj is of as 
great necessity as to have our practice regulated by the command 



THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY. 



152 



merits of God. This religion he now began to aim at, and though 
not yet properly convinced of sin nor acquainted with the depra* 
vity of his nature, he soon tasted much sweetness in aspiring after 
it. Meeting also, as he informs us, with a religious friend, he began 
to alter the whole course of his conversation, and to set himself in 
earnest ispon living a new life. He set apart an hour or two a day 
for religious retirement. He communicated every week. He 
watched against all sin, whether in word or deed, and aimed at, 
and prayed for, inward holiness. 

5. " Soon after this," says he, " removing to another college, I 
executed a resolution which I was before convinced was of the ut- 
most importance, viz. to shake off, at once, all my trifling acquaint- 
ance. I began now to see, more and more, the value of time, and 
to apply myself closer to study. I watched more carefully against 
actual sin, and advised others to be religious according to that 
scheme of religion by which I modelled my own life. And meeting 
now with Mr. Law's Serious Call and Christian Perfection, I was 
convinced more than ever of the exceeding height and depth, 
length and breadth of the law of God. The light now flowed in 
so mightily upon my soul, that every thing appeared in a new 
view. I cried to God for help, and resolved not to prolong the 
time of obeying him, as I had never done before. Accordingly, 
I began visiting the prisons, assisting the poor and sick in the town, 
and doing what other good I could by my presence or little fortune 
to the bodies and souls of men. To this end I abridged myself " 
(would to God, my brethren, we were all disposed to do the same!) 
" of all superfluities, and of many of what are called the neces- 
saries of life. A little after I began observing the W ednesday and 
Friday fasts, commonly observed in the ancient church, tasting no 
food till three o'clock in the afternoon." 

6. All this while, however, he was in a great measure a stranger 
to faith in Christ, and indeed was but little acquainted with him- 
self. Hence, " being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going 
about to establish his own righteousness, he did not submit himself 
to the righteousness of God." Accordingly, he was still uncertain 
as to his acceptance with God, and in bondage to the fear of death. 
" At this " says he, <s 1 was then not a little surprized, not imagin- 
ing I had all this time been building on the sand, and that other 

F 



154 



THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF 



foundation can no man lay, than that is laid by God, even Jesui, 
Christ." 

7. But in a little time God opened his eyes, and manifested in 
him, as he has done in many others, the truth of that promise, " If 
any man will do my will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it 
be of God." Observing, on shipboard, in his passage to America, 
the calm and composed behaviour of a few Germans, during some 
very tremendous storms, he was convinced they were in a very 
different state from himself, as they were manifestly raised above 
the fear of death. Some conversation he had with Mr. Sprangeu- 
berg, a German minister, after he landed, was a means of giving 
him still farther light ; and before he set sail to return to England, 
December 22. 1737, about two years and four months after he had 
left his own country, the hardships and persecutions he had met with 
in that remote part of the world, had been so sanctified to him, that, 
he was brought to a very full acquaintance with his own heart, and 
thus was prepared for that discovery of the love of God in Christ 
Jesus, which it pleased God soon after to afford him. 

8. It was on the 8th of January, 1738, that, being on his passage 
home, he wrote as follows : " By the most infallible of proofs, inward 
feeling, I am convinced, 1. Of unbelief, having no such faith in 

Christ as will prevent my heart from being troubled. 2. Of pride, 
throughout my life past, inasmuch as I thought I had what I find I 
have uot. 3. Of gross irrecollection, inasmuch as in a storm I 
cry to God every moment, in a calm not. 4. Of levity aud luxu- 
riancy of spirit, recurring whenever the pressure is taken off, and 
appearing by my speaking words not tending to edify ; but most by 
my manner of speaking of my enemies. Lord save, or I perish; 
Save me, 1. By such & faith as implies peace in life and death. 
2. By such humility as may fill my heart, from this hour for ever, 
with a piercing uninterrupted sense, ' I have done nothing hitherto,' 
having evidently built without a foundation. 3. By such a recol- 
lection as may cry to thee every moment, especially when all is 
calm. 4. By steadiness, seriousness, sobriety of spirit, avoiding 
as fire every word that tendeth not to edification, aud never speak- 
ing of any that oppose me or sin against God, without all my own 
sins set in array before my face." Could he who wrote these words 
4*'oe unacquainted with himself? 



THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY 



155 



9. A fortnight after he speaks yet more clearly : some of his 
expressions are, " I went to America to convert the Indians, but 
oh ! who shall convert me ? Who, what is he that will deliver me 
from this evil heart of unbelief? I have a fair summer religion. I 
can talk well, nay, and believe too, when no danger is near; but let 
death look me in the face, and my spirit is troubled. Nov can I 
say, — To die is gain. 

" I have a sin of fear that when I have spun 
My last thread I shall perish on the shore. 

" I think verily if the gospel be true I am safe. — But in a storm 
I think, What if the gospel be not true ? Then thou art of all 
men the most foolish. For what hast thou given thy goods, thy ease, 
thy friends, thy reputation, thy country, thy life ? for what art 
thou wandering over the face of the earth ? A dream, a cunningly 
devised fable ? O ! Who will deliver me from this fear of death ? 
What shall I do ? Where shall I flee from it ?" 

10. Again, a little after, he says, "It is now two years and 
almost four months since I left my native country, in order to 
teach the Georgian Indians the nature of Christianity ; but what 
have I learned myself in the mean time ? Why (what I least of 
all suspected) that I, who went to America to convert others, 
was never myself converted to God. I am not mad though I 
thus speak, but I speak the Avords of truth and soberness; if, hap- 
pily, some of those who still dream may awake and see, that as I 
am, so are they." *- 

" This have I learned in the ends of the earth, that I am fallen 
short of the glory of God; that my whole heart is altogether cor- 
rupt and abominable, and consequently my whole life (seeing it 
cannot be that an evil tree should bring forth good fruit :) that 
alienated as I am from " the life of God, I am a child of wrath, 
an heir of hell : that my own works, my own sufferings, my own 
righteousness, are so far from reconciling me to au offended God, so 
far from making an atonement for the least of those sins which are 
more in number than the hairs of my head, that the most specious 
of them need an atonement themselves, or they cannot abide his 
righteous judgment : that having the sentence of death in my heart, 
and having uothing in, or of myself to plead, I have no hope but 
that of being justified freely, through, the redemption that is in 



]56 1HE LI *£ AND LABOURS OF 

Christ Jesus : I have no hope but that if I seek I shall find 
Christ, and be foimd in him, not having my own righteousness, but 
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which 
is of God by faith." 

11. Of this faith he seems to have had at this time, a very 
clear notion, although not so clear as he afterwards obtained, 
partly by conversing with Peter Bohler, and some others, and partly 
by continually searching the scriptures upon this head. In this 
way it pleased God soon to convince him that saving faith (as our 
church expresses it) is " a sure trust and confidence, which a mau 
hath in God, that through the merits of Christ his sins are for- 
given and he is reconciled to the favour of God." He saw too, 
that holiness and happiness, that love, peace, and joy, are the 
never failing fruits of this faith, and that it is frequently given in 
a moment. But still he himself was not in possession of it : and 
this was, for some weeks, a source of great bitterness and distress, 
to his soul. " I feel what you say," (says he, in a letter to a 
friend) " at this time, though not enough; for I am under the 
same condemnation. I see that the whole law of God is holy, 
just and good. I know every thought, every temper of my soul, 
ought to bear God's image and superscription. But how am I 
fallen from the glory of God ; I feel that I am sold under sin. I 
know too, that I deserve nothing but wrath, being full of all abomi- 
nations ; and having no good thing in me to atone for them, or to re- 
move the wrath of God. All my works, my righteousness, my 
prayers, need an atonement for themselves. So that my mouth is 
stopped. I have nothing to plead. God is holy; I am unholy. 
God is a consuming fire ; I am altogether a sinner meet to be 
consumed. Yet, I hear a voice (and is it not the voice of God ?) 
saying, ' believe and thou shalt be saved. He that believeth is 
passed from death to life.' " 

12. lie who wrote these words could not be far from the king- 
dom of God. Deeply convinced of sin, as he manifestly was, of his 
depraity, and weakness, as well as of Ms gu ill, and groaning for 
redemption in the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of his sins, 
and a new nature, he could not be long without finding mercy. 
Accordingly a day or two after, while at a meeting in Aldergate- 
street, he was enabled to cast his soul on Christ, and to trust in 
him alone for salvation, and an assurance was given him, that his 
sins were blotted out, and he reconciled to the favour of God 




THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY 



157 



The peace and love lie immediately felt in his soul, and the spirit 
of prayer which he found for his enemies, were sufficient eviden- 
ces that the work was genuine. 

13. But the grand and most satisfactory evidence of any man's 
conversion is his subsequent temper and conduct. These in the 
Rev. Mr. Wesley, I trust, were such as confirmed his profession. 
This coogregation, I am persuaded will not think I exaggerate, if 
I represent him as remarkable for almost every grace and virtue 
that does or can adorn a follower of Jesus He was strong in faith 
and mighty in prayer, not a few, in the course of his sixty years' 
labours in the Lord's vineyard ; having been healed in body or 
mind, or both, while he was engaged in prayer to God with or for 
them. His resolution in undertaking and prosecuting whatever 
he believed would be for the glory of God and the good of man- 
kind was unconquerable. Nor was he discouraged by difficulties, 
how many or great soever. His confidence in God, his courage, 
and tranquillity, amidst tumults of the people, waves of the sea, 
dangers and deaths, were equally remarkable. He trusted in the 
Lord, and therefore, was kept in perfect peace : nay, was as 
Mount Zion which cannot be removed. And what shall I say of 
his humility ? Of the very deep and constant sense he manifestly 
had of his infirmities and imperfections, and of his continual need 
of the mercy of God and of the merits of Christ? This was un- 
doubtedly, to his dying day, the uninterrupted temper of his 
mind, and language of his lips and life. His resignation, likewise, 
to the divine will, and patience under the dispensations of his pro- 
vidence, were equally manifest, as also his meekness, gentleness, 
and long-suffering, amidst the very many insults, and injuries, 
and much ill usage he met with. And as no man was ever more 
attached and faithful to his friends^ so no man ever more freely 
forgave his enemies, of which class, it is well known, like all other 
great and good men, he had not a few. 

14. But how remarkable soever he might be for these graces, he 
was yet more eminent for benevolence, mercy, and charity. His 
life was one continued good work) one constant labour to do good 
to the bodies and souls of men. And as he fed thousands and 
myriads with the living bread, so also not a few with the bread 
that perisheth. Whatever he could spare from the profits of his 
fellowship before his marriage, or from the income arising from the 



158 



THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF 



sale of his books afterwards, together with the donations occasion- 
ally made him by particular friends, was wholly distributed to the 
sick and needy. He was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame ; 
a light (as it w^re) to them that sat in darkness, making the hearts 
of the fatherless and the widows to sing for joy. His generosity 
and liberality according to his power cannot be described nor 
hardly conceived by those that did not know him. His temperance 
also and self-denial must not be passed over in silence. It is true 
that, for many years last past, many, in town and country, were 
eager to show their love to him and his friends, by providing very 
liberally when he was to visit them on his journeys through the 
kingdom. But it is well known that his general rule was only to 
eat of one dish. In short, all the graces and virtues that adorn 
the christian character, were more or less found in him, and that 
mixed with such sweetness, affability, courtesy, and good-breeding, 
that he was the delight of every company he came into ; nor was 
it possible, almost, for any one to be a few minutes present while he 
was conversing with his friends, in a free and familiar manner, with- 
out being at once edified and highly delighted. He had read and 
seen so much,- was so well acquainted with men and things, with the 
world and with the church, that he had an inexhaustible fund for 
entertaining and useful conversation: nor could any feast, how 
elegant and sumptuous so ever, afford half the pleasure and 
delight which his most enlivening and exhiliratjng discourse 
afforded. 

15. As a preacher, he was always heard with deep attention, 
generally with much profit, and not seldom with surprizing and 
wonderful effect; whether of sorrow in those that were cut to the 
heart by his word, or of joy in those whose tears were wiped away, 
and whose wounds were healed by the balm of his doctrine. He 
was always concise and clear. He never advanced any thing 
unnecessary or more than enough, nor delivered himself in a man- 
ner that was not intelligible to the meanest of his hearers, if atten- 
tive. He was often full, as well as clear, and to such as were intel- 
ligent, gave perfect satisfaction upon almost every subject he under- 
took to explain. And his preaching was so forcible and convincing 
that it was hardly possible to hear him attentively, without being 
as much displeased at one*s self, as one was pleased with the 
pTeacher. The Lord's word in his mouth was indeed " quick and 



THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY. 



159 



powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the 
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and was a 
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." 

16. As a writer he is much to be admired. He employed his 
pen on almost all subjects that are useful to mankind, and treated 
them in a manner always agreeable and often highly pleasing. His 
method was easy, natural, and exact. His style, though not 
laboured andj flowery (a kind of style which he never admired) 
yet was pure, perspicuous, and manly; much like that of Addison, 
universally acknowledged one of the most pleasing writers this or 
any nation has produced. Although most of his publications are in 
prose, yet they are written in such a lively and entertaining man- 
ner, that they are read with as much pleasure as most poetical 
compositions. Of his abilities in poetry too, he has given us many 
specimens. And it appears that had his more serious and important 
studies and labours permitted him to employ himself in that way, 
he would not have fallen shjjpi of his brothers Charles or Samuel 
Wesley, or the pious and ingenious Dr. Watts, 

17. I have only to speak of him in the character of a shepherd 
and bishop of souls, in which he peculiarly shone, which was his 
chief calling, and his principal employment, and for which he was 
most admirably fitted by nature, and by grace. As probably no 
person has existed since the apostles' days, who ever had so many 
souls under his care, so many to feed and oversee ; so, perhaps uo 
one was ever better qualified for such a work. The health, 
strength, and activity of his body, capable of so much labour and 
fatigue, the vigozir, resolution, mid firmness of his mind, regarding 
neither pleasure nor pain, and recollected and undaunted in the 
midst of the greatest difficulties and dangers ; the retentiveness of 
his memory, enabling him to recollect the persons, names, and 
places of abode of such multitudes of people; his extensive know- 
ledge of things human and divine ; his deep and long experience 
both of the devices of Satan, and of the work of God in the soul, 
and above all, the grace of God that was in him : — these and such 
like endowments fitted him for this great work; and he executed it 
in a manner which few have done before, or, I believe, will do after 
him. 

18. Add to this, that in proportion as the societies increased in 
liondon. Bristol, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Leeds, Manchester, and aH 



160 



THE LIFE AffD LABOURS OF 



over Great Britain and Ireland ; and it became more and more 
impossible he should superintend and take care of them all, should 
provide food for their souls, oversee their behaviour, take notice 
of, and prepare and administer remedies for their spiritual diseases, 
and lead them forward in the paths of righteousness ; and as few or 
none of the clergy of the established church were willing to expose 
themselves to reproach, and engage heartily with him in the work; 
he had wisdom and courage enough to go out of the common tract, 
to take the Lord Jesus and his apostles for his models, and to avail 
himself of the gifts and grace bestowed for this very purpose, no 
doubt, upon many of his people. Hence dividing the societies 
into little companies called classes ; he appointed the most knowing, 
the most experienced, and the most pious, to take charge of the rest. 
Several of these, from praying with and advising their little com- 
panies in private, proceeded in consequence of pressing invitations, 
to exhort them and others in public, and in the end even to expound 
to them, and enforce upon them the wapd of God. 

19. In this way a great company of preachers now assembled 
here, have been providentially raised up, in general without an 
University education, or even any acquaintance with the learned 
languages (although some of them are well skilled therein) to supply 
his lack of service ; to oversee and feed, in his absence, the multitudes 
of flocks he had gathered, and to take care of them, now he is no 
more. An astonishing instance of the divine goodness this indeed ! 
For had it not been for this, would not you, my brethren, and some 
thousands of congregations beside, in Great Britain, Ireland, and 
America, have been this day as sheep without a shepherd ? By 
these, as well as by his life, which will long be remembered, and 
his writings, which will continue to be published and read, he 
being dead yet speaketh, and I trust will speak while England is a 
nation, or while the English language is known upon the earth. 
May you and I, my dear brethren, have ears to hear, and hearts to 
understand ! Many of them will address us during this Conference. 
May we mark, learn, and digest the blessed truths that shall drop 
from their lips ! the same, I am well persuaded, with those which, 
in years past, were so frequently dropping from the lips of our aged 
and reverend father, now removed from us, Avhen with his sons in 
the gospel about him, he was wont to discourse to us from this and 
other pulpits. May we recollect and long remember his salutary 



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181 



doctrine! May it be fixed in our minds as a nail in a sure place! 
May it have its proper influence upon our hearts and lives ! Thus, 
as my text advises, and as I was, Secondly, to exhort, we shall find 
it less difficult to follow Ms faith. 

II. Having enlarged so much on the former head, I shall despatch 
what I have to say on this and the following in a few words. 

1. Faith here, as in a few more passages of scripture, may be 
put for the object of faith, the truths believed. And the importance 
of it in this sense must be obvious to all who attend to the mighty, 
I may say, the infinite difference there is between truth and a lie, 
and the consequences that do and will follow upon believing the 
one or the other. There are indeed some, yea, many things 
relating to the present life which we may view in a false light, and 
may believe a He instead of the truth respecting them, and no bad, 
at least, no eternally bad and destructive consequences will follow 
the mistake. And the reason is plain, this life, with every thing in 
it, is of short duration, and is passing away like a dream of the 
night. But the case is different with regard to things that apper- 
tain to the life to come. To receive a lie for truth with respect to 
most of these, is to involve ourselves in ignorance, sin, and misery, 
and to preclude our partaking of the salvation of- God. 

2. For instance, to enter lain mistaken views of ourselves, and of 
the state we are in by nature; to suppose, with the Jews, that we 
see, when in reality we are blind; or, with the Pharisees, that we 
are holy and righteous, when we are guilty and depraved ; or, with 
St. Paul in his unconverted state, that we are doing God service 
while we are opposing his truth and persecuting his servants, is 
effectually to prevent our being enlightened, justified, or brought 
to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus ; it is to keep our- 
selves at an immense distance from that poverty of spirit, that 
humiliation of soul, that holy mourning, to which alone the Lord 
hath promised the consolation of his favour, and it is to feed that 
pride of heart which is an abomination before God. The same 
may be said concerning the divine nature, the person of Christ, the 
way of salvation through a Mediator, the will of God, and our 
duty : to have mistaken views of these subjects, must, o:^ the one 
hand, preclude those happy effects which would follow upon right 

W 



162 



THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF 



views of them, and, on the other, produce consequences proper- 
tionably hurtful. 

3. The gospel is represented in scripture as the great mean of 
turning people ''from darkness to light, and from the power of 
Satan unto God." But will any man say that a lie enlightens, or 
gives real and useful information, like truth; and that believing a 
lie will make us free, as the Lord Jesus has assured us* knowing 
the truth will ? St. James informs us that we are * begotten again 
by the word of truth:" St. Peter speaks of our "purifying 
our souls by obeying the truth," and our Lord prays that we may 
be sanctified by the truth." But dare any man affirm that a lie 
will produce the same effects ? that we may be begotten again and 
made the children of God by a lie, may purify our souls by 
obeying a lie, and may even be entirely sanctified and fitted for 
heaven by a lie ? Let no man therefore persuade us that it is a 
matter of no moment what we believe or what sentiments we enter- 
tain in religion. If that were the case, seal jor God would be suf- 
ficient, and it would not signify at all whether that zeal were 
according to knowledge, contrary to the express and repeated decla- 
rations of St. Paul. Be upon your guard, therefore, in this point, 
and remember that we are chosen to salvation, as by sanctijication 
of the Spirit, so also by belief of the truth. 

4. What this truth is, I need not now stay to declare. It is 
well known to this congregation to comprehend those grand doc- 
trines w^hich are termed by the apostle the analogy of faith, viz. 
those that respect the depravity of human nature, the atonement 
of Christ, the influences of the Spirit of God, justification, sancti- 
fication, and eternal life. But it is declared at large, as in many of 
Mr. Wesley's other works, so especially in his Noies on the New 
Testament, and in his four volumes of Sermons. Those who ;ish 
to see it defended more fully and particularly, will meet with ample 
satisfaction in reading his Appeals to men of Reason and Religion, 
his answer to Dr. Taylor on Original Sin, and his many other con- 
troversial pieces. In the meantime* compare what you read with 
the oracles of God, and bring everv doctrine to the test of that 
infallible touchstone. This, you know, is the only rule, and the 
sufficient rule of faith as well as of practice. Search, then, ike 
scriptures, for in them ye have eternal life ; and if you do this 



THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY. 



163 



without prejudice, io humility and simplicity, sincerely desiriog to 
know and embrace the truth as it is in Jesus, and looking unto God 
for the teaching of his Spirit, I have no more doubt of your finding 
in them the grand doctrines which our late pastor and president 
so continually taught by word and writing, and so ably defended, 
than 1 doubt whether you will find in them, that there is a God, or 
that Jesus of Nazareth is his Son. 

5. But we need not confine the term faith to the object of faith, 
the truths believed. The expression may also mean here our 
belief or persuasion of those truths. In this sense also let me recom- 
mend the faith of our departed pastor to your imitation. See that 
you be persuaded, truly and deeply persuaded, as he was, of the 
certainty and importance of these truths. See that the gospel of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, with all the great doctrines of it, come to 
you, as it did to the Thessalonians, " not in word ooly, but also in 
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." See that 
you so believe that it may be the power of God unto salvation to 
your believing souls : so that it may have its proper influence upon 
your temper and conduct, while you are, as it were, cast into the 
mould of it, and all your dispositions, words, and actions, are as 
becometh the gospel of Christ. 

6. But some will perhaps be inclined to think that faith here 
means justifying and saving faith, even that faith in Christ, and 
in the mercy of God, and in the promises of the gospel through him, 
which whosoever hath is " justified from all things, has peace with 
God, has the love of God shed abroad in his heart, by the Holy 
Ghost given to him, and rejoices in hope of the glory of God." 
And certainly, my brethren, it is our duty to take care, that, in this 
sense also, we follow his faith: that like him, we " believe in 
Christ, so as to be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the 
deeds of the law ;" that we believe with a faith of the operation of 
God, a faith working by love, a faith overcoming the world, aud 
purifying the heart. This, indeed, is the most important point of 
all. For if " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begot- 
ten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life ;" it surely must be of the deepest importance 
that we believe aright on him, for eternal life is attained io this, 
and in no other way. 



164 



THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF 



7. It is above all necessary that we, who speak in the name of 
God, have faith in this sense ! that we be justified ourselves, con- 
verted, regenerated, and made new creatures in Christ Jesus. 
To preach this faith is our grand calling, nor need we go forth 
unless to preach it. Almost every other branch of christian doc- 
trine has advocates in abundance without us. But with regard 
to faith working by love, and justification by faith, together with 
a new birth, or a new creation, manifesting itself by universal holiness 
of heart and life, the case is different : — To preach these is the pro- 
per office of a Methodist preacher, this being the very doctrine, as we 
have seen in the former part of this discourse, which our late Rev. 
father continually inculcated. And if it be our duty to preach it, 
surely it is equally, or more, our duty to experience it. For cer- 
tainly we would not wish to be hypocrites, going about and recom- 
mending to others what we have no experience of ourselves. 

8. I shall only mention one thiDg more here. Probably some 
will think that faith here stands for faithfulness. And certainly 
there can be no impropriety in taking the word in this sense, 
whether primarily intended by the apostle or not, and recommend- 
ing the faithfulness of our departed friend and father to your 
imitation. But who can describe his faith, in this view of it? 
Who can give those, that did not know him, any just idea of his 
faithfulness in the employment of his time, and of every talent 
his great Master had entrusted him with ? Nay, who, that did not 
know him, would credit one half of what might be said, and 
must be said, if one do any justice to the subject ? But it is my 
happiness this evening, to address those that in some measure 
knew him. And however marvellous and bordering upon romance 
it might appear to others, you know it to be a fact, and therefore, 
will fully believe me when I say, that during the last fifty years 
of his life, there seldom was a day in which he did not preach 
twice, thrice, or even four times ; travel, during nine months out 
of ten of the year, thirty, forty, fifty, or sixty miles, (and for many 
years on horseback,) answer half a dozen, or even a dozen letters ; 
converse with a number of persons, and yet found time to write, 
and go on with some work intended for the press. So that we 
may reckon he generally preached one thousand, or twelve hun- 
dred sermons every year, travelled three thousand, or even four 
thousand miles-, wrote two thousand letters, conversed privately 



THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY, 



165 



with tea thousand, or twelve thousand people, over and above 
meeting societies, keeping watch-nights and love-feasts, administer- 
ing the Lord's Supper to thousands of communicants in town 
and country, and writing and publishing, I know not how many 
books on all subjects. It would be incredible that any one man 
should go through so much work, if we did not know it to be a 
fact, that he w r ent through it, and that, through the help of God, 
by attending to one single circumstance, and that is, to the proper 
use of his time ; observing himself most carefully the advice given 
to us, my brethren, in the large Minutes of Conference; "Be 
punctual, be diligent. Never " be unemployed a moment : Never 
be triflingly employed. Never while away time. Neither spend 
any more time in any place than is strictly necessary." 

9. From about the twenty-second year of his age, when, as 
he tells his brother Samuel in a letter, " Leisure and he had 
taken leave of each other, and he proposed to be busy as long as 
he lived, if his health should be so long indulged to him," he 
made it a constant rule, as is well known, to rise at four in the 
morning : and from the observation of this rule even sickness 
could scarce prevent him. From that hour till he went to rest 
at night (which was about nine) it may be safely said that he 
never willingly lost one moment. Amusement or relaxation he 
used none, save what arose from change of employment. His 
whole life was one scene of serious business. From morning to 
night, allowing time for his meals, he was either reading, or 
writing, or preaching, or travelling, or conversing seriously with 
those who applied to him for advice about matters temporal or 
spiritual. Nay, and frequently when on horseback, in the former 
part of his life, and almost always in the chaise (since he was 
obliged through weakness of body to make use of that means of 
conveyance) he was reading, unless when he judged it better to 
employ his thoughts in considering some subject intended for the 
pulpit or the press. 

10. We see in him the wonders that time can do: (i Time," 
(as Dr. Young says) 

" Than gold more sacred, more a load 
Than lead to fools, and fools reputed wise." 

And we see, too, in him the fulfilment of that gracious promise^ 
To him that hath shall be given. He had, that is, employed. 



166 



THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF 



according to the design of the giver, the time vouchsafed him, 
and therefore the Lord gave him much of it. Consider him as 
awake and active from four in the morning till nine or ten at night, 
and you will find reason to conclude that he lived more in one 
year than many do in a half a dozen. Add to this, that the Lord 
protracted his life to the loDg date of, at least, eighty-eight years. 
So that his life was long indeed, longer, all thiDgs considered, than 
almost any in these latter ages do or will attain to ; and what is 
better, wholly employed for the glory of God and the good of 
mankind. It may be safely said, that from the time he was 
twenty-two years of age, till his dying day, he hardly ever em- 
ployed one hour, wrote one line, travelled one mile, or almost 
uttered one sentence, but what was, at least, designed by him to 
be useful to his fellow -creatures, nay, and in general, one way or 
other was useful. 

11. How many thousands have been relieved, or cured in 
bodily complaints, by his advice given verbally, or in that most 
useful little book, termed Primitive Physic. How many tens of 
thousands owe to him, under God, the health, yea, and everlast- 
ing happiness of their souls ! How many families and individuals, 
at variance, has he reconciled, and how much peace and har- 
mony has he been a mean of imparting where it never had been, 
or of restoring where it had been lost ! How many drunken and 
debauched husbands aud fathers have been reclaimed from their 
vices, and their families saved from beggary and ruin; and 
how much industry, frugality, temperance, and chastity, and 
of consequence prosperity, have through him, been spread 
through this and other kingdoms ! How many hundreds, thousands, 
and tens of thousands of miserable objects have been, or still are, 
relieved by his own charities, or by those of which he w as, under 
God, the main-spring, and either set on foot, or promoted ! How 
many at this moment, are praising God on earth that ever there 
was such a man, and how many more in heaven ! How many 
thousands and myriads, duririg these fifty or sixty years that 
he has so successfully exercised his ministry on earth, converted 
io God, by his instrumentality, directly or indirectly, have gone 
before him to paradise, and were ready to bid him welcome Avhen 
he arrived! and how many hundreds of thousands, in England, 
Scotland, Ireland, America, and the West Indies, nay, and in 
other parts of the earth to which his writings have reached, or 



THE LATE REV. JOHN WESLEY. 



167 



may hereafter reach, are waiting, or shall hereafter wait, to follow 
after ! Oh ! what a meeting, my dear brethren ! How many sons 
and daughters, begotten by him through the gospel, shall at that 
day rise up and call him blessed ! shall own and confess him their 
spiritual father, while he looks round with astonishment, and asks, 
Who hath begotten me these ? These, where had they been ? 

* { I will invite you, my father and my friend," (said Mr. Her- 
vey in a letter to him, dated in the year 1736,) "to meet me among 
the spirits of the just made perfect, since I am not like to see you 
any more in the flesh. Then will I bid you welcome, yea, I will 
tell of your love before the universal assembly, and at the tremen- 
dous tribunal. I will hear, with joy, the Lord Jesus say of you, 
(Oh ! you that are greatly beloved I) Well done, good and faithful 
servant ! You have served your Lord, and your generation with 
your might. You have finished the work which my Father gave 
you to do. If others have turned their thousands, you have 
turned your ten thousands from the power of Satan unto 
God. Receive, therefore, a glorious kingdom, a beautiful and 
immortal crown from my hand. Enter with the children I have 
given you, with the souls you have won, O thou blessed one, thou 
heir of glory ! enter in at those everlasting doors, and receive 
there the reward of thy labours, even fulness of joy for ever 
and ever." 

1 3. Aad if Mr. Hervey be so eager to come forward and welcome 
our venerable father into heavenly mansions, shall his son in the 
gospel, Mr. Fletcher, be backward ? Shall his dear brother and 
fellow-labourer, Mr. Charles Wesley, stand aloof? Shall Mr. 
Whilefield, whose labours commenced with his, and who with him 
bore the burden and heat of the day, but finished his task many 
years sooner ? — Shall not he rise up and bid him enter ? Methinks 
even Mr. Toplady has lost his bitterness, and is melted into love ? 
But why should I name individuals ? An immense multitude thai: 
knew him in the flesh, and that never knew him, shall join the invi- 
ting and applauding chorus, prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, 
and teachers, saints, confessors, and martyrs, gathered out of every 
nation and age, shall be glad to testify their love towards so faith- 
ful and eminent a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus. May 
we, my brethren, be of this company ! I hope in Gorl many of us 
shall. Many of you have long been, and are at this moment, the 



16$ 



THE LIFE AND LABOUKS Of 



sincere friends of the Lord Jesus, and therefore, of whatever 
denomination or party, cannot be his enemies, cannot be the enemies 
of one so owned of God, and who has been made such an universal 
blessing to mankind. 

14. Thus have I been led, without intending it, to speak also of 
the " end of his conversation," and to anticipate, in a great measure, 
what might have been advanced under the third head. I shall, 
therefore, only add to what has been said, that the wonderful suc- 
cess God gave to his labours, the amazing reformation he made 
him the great instrument of effecting in this and other kingdoms, 
the glorious exit he made out of life, afier having persevered in 
the good way in whicli he had begun, to the end ; and the great 
and blessed reward which, we doubt not, he partly has received 
already, and will hereafter more abundantly receive at the resur- 
rection of the just ; these particulars all included in ttjv ey,Qot,o-iv 
csvccrpotpw, that end of his conversation which we are called upon 
to consider, certainly contain strong and powerful arguments why 
we should follow his faith in the several senses that have been 
noticed, and proceed on in the way in which he, who for so many 
years " had the rule over us, and spoke to us the word of God," 
went before us. 

15. Let us, then, my brethren, steadily abide by the doctrine he 
taught, and discipline he established, and continue to pursue the 
plan he in his wisdom saw fit to adopt, being, indeed, as we know 
providentially led into it, contrary to his preconceived prejudices ; 
a plan which God has been pleased greatly to smile upon, and to 
crown with wonderful success. Let us not attempt to mend it, for 
indeed we are not able; but taking it up just as it is, let us adhere 
to it, and go on in the same tract in which we have many of us 
persevered for tA?enty, or thirty, or even forty years. It is now 
too late in the day for us to change : but if otherwise, to what can 
we change for the better ? Let us, however, mend our pace, and 
quicken our diligence, as our time grows shorter. And as the 
shades of the evening are coming on, let us, in imitation of our 
departed pastor, work the harder, "work while it is day, because 
the night cometh in which no man can work." Though we have 
not received his talents, let not that discourage us. Our present 
duty and our future reward are not, and will not, be measured by 
the number or greatness of our talents, or even by our success in 



A CHARACTER OF THE, &o. 



169 



the use of them, but by our diligence in employing them according 
to the design of him who entrusted them to our management. 
" Every mao, we are to remember, shall receive his own reward 
according to his own labour; and when our Lord cometh, his 
reward is with him, to give to every man according as his work 
shall be. Persuaded of this, let us not make our having received 
fewer talents than our late Rev. father, an excuse for hiding any of 
them in a napkin, much less for buryiDg them all in the earth. 
But if we have received but one, let us be the more diligent that 
our one may gain two, and our two five, aud perhaps also our five 
ten. Thus shall we also hear him say, " Well done, good and 
faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord :" thus shall 
we also receive a full reward in the kingdom of our Father. 

END OF THE SERMON". 



The following- character of the Rev. Mr. Wesley, appeared in a certain 
Periodical Publication, and in some of the London papers. It fell into 
my hands a few days before the Conference, aud, happening- to have it 
with me, I read it to the congregation after preaching the above sermon. 
It was so highly approved of by most, if not all that heard it, that I judge 
I shall do an acceptable piece of service to my readers by subjoining it 
.here. 

A CHARACTER 

OF THE CELEBRATED 



JOHN WESLEY, A. M. 

LATE FELLOW OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, OXFORD. 
WHO DIED MARCH 2, 1791, AGED EIGHTY-EIGHT YEARS. 

This venerable man, in his indefatigable zeal iu the discharge of 
his duty, has been long witnessed by the world ; but, as mankind 
are not always inclined to put a generous construction on the exer- 
tion of singular talents, his motives were imputed to the love of 
popularity, ambition, and lucre. It now appears that he was actu- 
ated by a disinterested regard to the immortal interest of mankind. 
He laboured, and studied, and preached, and wrote to propagate 

X 



170 



A CHARACTER OF THE 



what he believed to be the gospel of Christ. The intervals of these 
engagements were employed in governing the churches he had 
planted, regulating the concerns of his numerous societies, assisting 
the necessities, solviug the difficulties, and soothing the afflictions of 
his hearers. He observed so rigid a temperance, and allowed 
himself so little repose, that he seemed to be above the infirmities 
of »ature, and toact independent of the earthly tenement he occu- 
pied. The recital of the occurrences of every day of his life 
would be the greatest encomium. 

Had he loved wealth, he might have accumulated without 
hounds; had he been fond of power, his influence would have 
been worth courting by any party. I do not say that he was with- 
out ambition ; he had that which Christianity need not blush at, and 
which virtue is proud to confess. I do not mean that which is 
gratified by splendour and large possessions ; but that which com- 
mands the hearts and affections, the homage and gratitude of thou- 
sands. For him they felt sentiments of veneration only inferior to 
those which they paid to heaven ; to him they looked as their 
father, their benefactor, their guide to glory and immortality; for 
him they fell prostrate before God, with prayers and tears to spare 
his doom, and prolong his stay. Such a recompense as this is suf- 
ficient to repay the toils of the longest life. Short of this, great- 
ness is contemptible impotence. Before this, lofty prelates bow, 
and princes hide their diminished heads. 

His zeal was not a transient blaze, but a steady and constant 
flame. The ardour of his spirit was neither damped by difficulty, 
nor subdued by age. This was ascribed by himself to the power 
of divine grace ; by the world to enthusiasm. Be it what it will, 
it is Avhat Philosophers must envy, and infidels respect ; it is that 
which gives energy to the soul, and without which there can be 
no greatness or heroism. 

Why should we condemn that in religion which we applaud in 
every other profession and pursuit ? He had a vigour and eleva- 
tion of mind, which nothing but the belief of the divine favour and 
presence could inspire. This threw a lustre round his infirmities, 
changed his bed of sickness into a triumphal car, and made his 
exit resemble an Apotheosis rather than a dissolution. 

He was qualified to excel in every branch of literature ; he was 
versed in the learned tongues, in Bletaphysics, in Oratory, in X^ogic, 



> 



CELEBRATED JOHN WESLEY. 



171 



in Criticism, and every requisite of a christian minister; his style 
was nervous, clear, and manly ; his preaching was pathetic and 
persuasive ; his journals are artless and interesting ; his composi- 
tions and compilations to promote knowledge and piety were almost 
innumerable. 

I do not say he was without faults, or above mistakes; but they 
were lost in the multitude of his excellencies and virtues. 

To gain the admiration of an ignorant and superstitious age, 
requires only a little artifice and address ; to stand the test of these 
times, when all pretensions to sanctity are stigmatized as hypocrisy, 
is a proof of genuine piety and real usefulness. His great object 
was, to revive the obsolete doctrines and extinguished spirit of the 
church of England; and they Avho are its friends, cannot be his 
enemies. Yet for this he was treated as a fanatic and impostor, 
and exposed to every species of slander and persecution. Even 
bishops and dignitaries entered the lists against him ; but he never 
declined the combat, and generally proved victorious. He appealed 
to the Homilies, the Articles, and the Scriptures, as vouchers for 
his doctrine ; and they who could not decide upon the merits of 
the controversy, were witnesses of the effects of his labours; and 
they judged of the tree by its fruit. It is true, he did not succeed 
much in the higher walks of life ; but that impeached his cause no 
more than it did that of the first planters of the gospel. However, 
if he had been capable of assuming vanity upon that score, he might 
have ranked among his friends some persons of the first distinction, 
who would have done honour to any party. 

After surviving almost all his adversaries, and acquiring respect 
among those who were the most distant from him in principles, he 
lived to see the plant he had reared spreading its branches far and 
wide, and inviting not only these kingdoms, but the western world, 
to repose under its shade. Who can doubt of the continuance of a 
cause so deeply established ; though at the same time, all must be 
sensible of the difficulty, if not the impossibility of finding a suit- 
able successor ? No sect, since the first ages of Christianity, could 
boast a founder of such extensive talents and endowments. If he 
had been a candidate for literary fame, he might have succeeded to 
his utmost wishes ; but he sought not the praise of men, he regarded 
learning only as the instrument of usefulness. The great purpose 
of his life was doing good. For this he relinguished all honour 



SERMON X. 



ON 

THE TRUE GLORY OF A HOUSE OF GOD. 

PREACHED AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW CHAPEL, 
IN LOWGATE, HULL, ON SUNDAY, 
DEC. 23, 1787. 



The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the for- 
mer, saith the Lord of Hosts : And in this place will I give 
peace, saith the Lord of Hosts. Haggai ii. 9. 

j. Notwithstanding that the Babylonish captivity had 
been a means of humbling that small remnant of Jews that survived 
it, and of curing the whole nation of idolatry, into which / it seems) 
they never afterwards fell : yet we have reason to believe, that the 
generality of them still remained carnal in their views and affec- 
tions. Hence, like the rest of mankind, while in a carnal state, they 
were most taken with external things. When, therefore, they 
saw the house nearly finished, which was built after their return 
from Babylon, and compared it with Solomon's Temple, the 
splendour of which many of them could remember, it appeared in 
their eyes as nothing iu comparison of that former most sumptuous 
fabric. Hence they were ready to be discouraged, as if the chief 
glory of a place of worship consisted in the great wealth lavished 
in the external decorations of it, To prevent this, therefore, and 
encourage them to go on with their undertaking as A7eli as to 
reprove them for their inactivity and sloth, the Lord raised up -md 
sent to them his servants Haggai and Zachariah, who both prophe- 



170 



A CHARACTER OF THE 



what be believed to be the gospel of Christ. The intervals of these 
engagements were employed in governing the churches he had 
planted, regulating the concerns of his numerous societies, assisting 
the necessities, solving the difficulties, and soothing the afflictions of 
his hearers. He observed so rigid a temperance, and allowed 
himself so little repose, that he seemed to be above the infirmities 
of Bature, and toact independent of the earthly tenement he occu- 
pied. The recital of the occurrences of every day of his life 
would be the greatest encomium. 

Had he loved wealth, he might have accumulated without 
bounds; had he been fond of power, his influence would have 
been worth courting by any party. I do not say that he was with- 
out ambition ; he had that which Christianity need not blush at, and 
which virtue is proud to confess. I do not mean that which is 
gratified by splendour and large possessions ; but that which com- 
mands the hearts and affections, the homage and gratitude of thou- 
sands. For him they felt sentiments of veneration only inferior to 
those which they paid to heaven ; to him they looked as their 
father, their benefactor, their guide to glory and immortality; for 
him they fell prostrate before God, with prayers and tears to spare 
his doom, and prolong his stay. Such a recompense as this is suf- 
ficient to repay the toils of the longest life. Short of this, great- 
ness is contemptible impotence. Before this, lofty prelates bow, 
and princes hide their diminished heads. 

His zeal was not a transient blaze, but a steady and constant 
flame. The ardour of his spirit was neither damped by difficulty, 
nor subdued by age. This was ascribed by himself to the power 
of divine grace ; by the world to enthusiasm. Be it what it will, 
it is what Philosophers must envy, and infidels respect; it is that 
which gives energy to the soul, and without which there can be 
no greatness or heroism. 

Why should we condemn that in religion which Ave applaud in 
every other profession and pursuit ? He had a vigour and eleva- 
tion of mind, which nothing but the belief of the divine favour and 
presence could inspire. This threw a lustre round his infirmities, 
changed his bed of sickness into a triumphal car, and made his 
exit resemble an Apotheosis rather than a dissolution. 

He was qualified to excel in every branch of literature ; he wss 
versed in the learned tongues, in Bfetaphysics, in Oratory, in Logic, 



CELEBRATED JOHN WESLEY. 



171 



in Criticism, and every requisite of a christian minister ; his style 
was nervous, clear, and manly ; his preaching was pathetic and 
persuasive ; his journals are artless and interesting ; his composi- 
tions and compilations to promote knowledge and piety were almost 
innumerable. 

I do not say he was without faults, or above mistakes; but they 
were lost in the multitude of his excellencies and virtues. 

To gain the admiration of an ignorant and superstitious age, 
requires only a little artifice and address ; to stand the test of these 
times, when all pretensions to sanctity are stigmatized as hypocrisy, 
is a proof of genuine piety and real usefulness. His great object 
was, to revive the obsolete doctrines and extinguished spirit of the 
church of England; and they who are its friends, cannot be his 
enemies. Yet for this he was treated as a fanatic and impostor, 
and exposed to every species of slander and persecution. Even 
bishops and dignitaries entered the lists against him ; but he never 
declined the combat, and generally proved victorious. He appealed 
to the Homilies, the Articles, and the Scriptures, as vouchers for 
his doctrine ; and they who could not decide upon the merits of 
the controversy, were witnesses of the effects of his labours ; and 
they judged of the tree by its fruit. It is true, he did not succeed 
much in the higher walks of life ; but that impeached his cause no 
more than it did that of the first planters of the gospel. However, 
if he had been capable of assuming vanity upon that score, he might 
have ranked among his friends some persons of the first distinction, 
who would have done honour to any party. 

After surviving almost all his adversaries, and acquiring respect 
among those who were the most distant from him in principles, he 
lived to see the plant he had reared spreading its branches far and 
wide, and inviting not only these kingdoms, but the western world, 
to repose under its shade. Who can doubt of the continuance of a 
cause so deeply established ; though at the same time, all must be 
sensible of the difficulty, if not the impossibility of finding a suit- 
able successor ? No sect, since the first ages of Christianity, could 
boast a founder of such extensive talents and endowments. If he 
had been a candidate for literary fame, he might have succeeded to 
his utmost wishes ; but he sought not the praise of men, he regarded 
learning only as the instrument of usefulness. The great purpose 
of his life was doing good. For this he relinguished all honour 



172 



A CHARACTER OF THE 



and preferment; to this he dedicated all his powers of body and 
mind ; at all times and in all places, in season and out of season, 
by gentleness, by terror, by argument, by persuasion, by reasoo, 
by interest, by every motive, and every inducement, he strove 
with unwearied assiduity to turn men from the error of their ways, 
and awaken them to virtue and religion. To the bed of sickness 
or the couch of prosperity, to the prison or the hospital, the house 
of mourning or the house of feasting, wherever there was a friend 
to serve, or a soul to save, he readily repaired, to administer assist- 
ance or advice, reproof or consolation. He thought no office too 
humiliating, no condescension too low, no undertaking too arduous, 
to reclaim the meanest of God's offspring. The souls of all men 
were precious in his sight, and the value of an immortal creature 
beyond all estimation. He penetrated the abodes of wretchedness 
and ignorance, to rescue the profligate from perdition ; and he com- 
municated light to those who sat in darkness, and the shado of 
death. He changed the outcasts of society into useful members, 
civilized even savages, and filled those lips with prayer and praise, 
that had been accustomed only to oaths and imprecations. 

But as the strongest religious impressions are apt to become lan- 
guid without discipline and practice, he divided his people into 
classes and bands according to their attainments. He appointed 
frequent meetings for prayer and conversation, where they gave an 
account of their experience, their hopes and fears, their |oys and 
troubles ; by which means they were united to each other, and their 
common profession ; they became centinels upon each other's con- 
duct, and securities for each other's character. Thus the seeds 
he sowed sprang up and flourished, bearing the rich fruits of every 
grace and virtue ; thus he governed and preserved his numerous 
societies, watching their improvement with a paternal care, and 
encouraging them to be faithful to the end. 

But I will not attempt to draw his full character, nor to estimate 
the extent of his labours and services : they will be best known, when 
he shall deliver up his commission into the hands of his Great 
Master, — " Lord, here am I, and the children which thou gavest 
me." 

N. B. This most extraordinary man, in the course of the last 
sixty years, has been the blessed instrument in the hands of God 



CELEBRATED JOHN WESLEY. 



173 



to revive his work of True, Primitive Religion, not only in Eng- 
land, Scotland, and Ireland, but in that large quarter of the 
globe, America. In all of these places, he travelled in the greatness 
of his zeal, in person, by the sweat of his brow, and with his life 
in bis hand; like his great Master, delivering the message of 
the Lord to the poor, but precious and never-dying souls of men. 

But glory be to Jehovah, his labours did not stop here, as tens 
of thousands of poor negroes, (and indeed their masters too,) in 
the West-Indies, both English, Dutch, and Danish Isles, can tes- 
tify. In fine, we shall say of him separately, as was said of the 
holy apostles jointly ; viz. That God's word is by him carried 
through all the earth; yea, even to the world's end. — O, that my 
life were like his t 



SERMON X 



ON 

THE TRUE GLORY OF A HOUSE OF GOD. 

PREACHED AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW CHAPEL, 
IN LOWGATE, HULL, ON SUNDAY, 
DEC. 23, 1787. 



The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the for- 
mer, saith the Lord of Hosts : And in this place will I give 
peace, saith the Lord of Hosts. Haggai ii. 9. 

i. Notwithstanding that the Babylonish captivity had 
been a means of humbling that small remnant of Jews that survived 
it, and of curing the whole nation of idolatry, into which ( it seems) 
they never afterwards fell : yet we have reason to believe, that the 
generality of them still remained carnal in their views and affec- 
tions. Hence, like the rest of mankind, while in a carnal state, they 
were most taken with external things. When, therefore, they 
saw the house nearly finished, which was built after their return 
from Babylon, and compared it with Solomon's Temple, the 
splendour of which many of them could remember, it appeared in 
their eyes as nothing in comparison of that former most sumptuous 
fabric. Hence they were ready to be discouraged, as if ihe chief 
glory of a place of worship consisted in the great wealth lavished 
in the external decorations of it To prevent this, therefore, and 
encourage them to go on w ith their undertaking, as well as to 
reprove them for their inactivity and sloth, the Lord raised up -\nd 
sent to them his servants Haggai and Zachariah, who boiii prophe- 



176 



THE TRUE GLORY OF 



sied in the second year of Darius the king of Persia, under whose 
dominion the Jews then were. 

2. " In the seventh month of that year came the word of the 
Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Who is left among you that 
saw this house in its first glory ? And how do you see it uow ? Is 
it not in your eyes, in comparison of it, as nothing ? Yet now be 
strong, O Zerubbabel, and Joshua the high priest, and be strong all 
the people of the land, saith the Lord, and work, for I am with 
you, saith the Lord of Hosts. According to the word which I 
covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my Spirit 
reraaineth among you ; fear ye not. For thus saith the Lord of 
Hosts, yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, 
and the earth, and the sea, and the dry laud ; and I will shake all 
nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this 
house with glory, saith the Lord of Hosts. The silver is mine, and 
the gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts. The glory of this latter 
house shall be greater than of the former: and in this place will I 
give peace, saith the Lord of Hosts." 

3. Hence it appears, that though Solomon's temple, which was 
a great part of it overlaid with gold and silver, and was in other 
respects, perhaps, the most magnificent structure ever erected 
upon the earth, far exceeded this latter house in outward ornaments, 
yet that this should excel it in real glory. The reasou was, the 
desire of all nations, the Saviour of sinners, the Christ of God, 
the living and true Temple of Jehovah, of which these outward 
temples were but types and shadows, was to appear in it. — Here 
the true light was to shine, and disperse the darkness that had 
covered former nations and ages. Here the power of God was to 
be exerted in signs and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of 
the Holy Ghost, which were to be the seals of a new and better 
covenant. Here the ancient prophecies were to find their accom- 
plishment, and the types and shadows, whereby God had taught 
his church in its minority, were to be answered by the great 
antitype, and to give way to the truth and grace wherewith 
he would enlighten and perfect its mature age. Here the glad 
tidings of salvation were to be published to a lost world, and 
the Spirit of God, in a rich variety of gifts and graces, was to be 
poured out on all that should believe and embrace those tidings. 

In this place the Lord of Hosts was to give peace, and here he was j 



m 

A HOUSE OF GOD. I77 

to open a pure and spiritual religion, whereby every soul, pos- 
sessed of that peace, might not only worship him in spirit and in 
truth, but might even become himself a temple of the Deity, and 
an habitation of God tkrougli the Spirit. 

4. The glory of this latter house, therefore, was to exceed the 
glory of the former. And thus we are furnished with a rule 
whereby we may measure the true glory of places of Avorship in all 
ages, and under every dispensation of divine grace, but especially 
under the gospel. It consists, not in any thing external, but in the 
presence of the Lord Jesus, and in the communication of gifts and 
graces, there made by him to the upright, devout, and spiritual 
worshipper. " The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the 
Lord of Hosts : Son, give me thy heart. Thus saith the Lord, 
The heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool : where is the 
house ye build me ? and where is the place of my rest ? For all 
those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, 
saith the Lord : But to this man will I look, even to him that is 
poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word ." 

But as this is a point of great importance, and particularly suit- 
able for our meditation at this time, when we first appear in this 
new house, so superior in outward things, to that in which we for- 
merly assembled; we will dwell a little longer upon it, and 
inquire, — 

I. What is the true glory of a house of God. or place of public 
worship ; and when it may be said, that one place exceeds another 
in glory ? 

II. We will consider the gracious promise here made, which, 
when fulfilled in such places, renders them glorious indeed ! 

• ; In this place will I give peace, saith the Lord^of hosts.' , 

I. The first thing that I shall take notice of as constituting the 
true glory of a house of God, is that the pure word of God be 
fully 1 clearly, and powerfully preached in it. — Places of worship 
are erected in order that those who worship in them, being screened 
from what might annoy in the different seasons, cominodiously 

Y 



I 



178 THE TRUE GLORY OF " 

seated, and shut in with the Lord, may wait upon him, in hearing 
his word and in prayer, without distraction of mind and interrup- 
tion from outward things. But they will hear his word to little 
purpose unless what they hear be the pure, unadulterated word of 
God. This of all things is most important, that what is delivered 
from the pulpit, be the very truth of God, unmixed with the cor- 
rupt fancies of men. Without this, the hearers are not instructed 
but deluded; not directed in the right way of salvation, but milled 
into by-paths of error, and if not irrecoverably lost, yet greatly 
hindered in their christian course, and prevented from making the 
progress they otherwise might make in knowledge and holiness. 

2. It is true, considering the weakness of the human understand- 
ing in the best, and the prejudices which preachers as well as others 
are exposed to from various quarters; and considering too, that God 
has denied to these later ages that plenary superintendency of inspi- 
ration, which rendered the apostles and first teachers of Christianity 
infallible; it is not to be expected that any ministers of Christ now 
should be right in all points, even such as are small and trivial. But 
surely every one taught of God, may and will be right as to the 
grand, leading, and fundamental truths of Christianity, those that 
are so clearly, fully, and constantly revealed and inculcated in the 
holy scriptures, and are necessary to be known in order to salvation. 
With respect to these at least, they may say with the apostles, " We 
are not as many who corrupt" (or as the Greek signifies, who adulte- 
rate) " the word of God," as some vintners do their wines, intermix- 
ing them with baser liquors ; " but as of sincerity, but as of God, in 
the sight of God, speak we in Christ," truths which he approves and 
blesses. And then with respect to some lesser matters, if they should 
be mistaken, their mistake will do no material hurt, especially as they 
will for the most part keep it to themselves, seldom mentioning in 
public, and never dwelling long upon any thing that is unessential. 

3. And I would just observe here, by the way, that the best method 
a preacher can pursue to ensure this point, that he preaches only 
truth and not error to his hearers, is, to confine himself as much as 
possible to matters essential, for with respect to these, a man of God 
will hardly err. Whereas, when instead of this, a minister takes 
upon him to intermeddle with all controversies and discuss all ques- 
tions, he is hardly ever right throughout a discourse, but is in one 



A HOUSE OF GOD. 



179 



mistake or another in every sermon, and in some sermons perhaps 
in many. And this, at best, is a great waste of time and prostitu- 
tion of the sacred office of preaching the gospel. 
But to return, 

4. I mentioned, 2dly, that this pure word of God must be preached 
fully ; that as we deliver nothing but the truth, so that we declare 

the whole truth, at least as far as it is necessary to be declared in 
order to the edification and salvation of our hearers. This rule, 
though of equal importance with that last mentioned, is yet much 
more frequently transgressed. Many, who do not corrupt, yet 
mutilate the truth as it is in Jesus, and represent to mankind a 
lame and imperfect system of doctrine. They keep back something 
that would be profitable, " and slum to declare the whole counsel 
of God." 

5. Thus some, who very properly explain the nature and enforce 
the necessity of repentance towards God, are nevertheless very 
deficient on the subject of jaith in our Lord Jesus Christ; others, 
who speak with great clearness on faith, and justification by faith, 
are w anting as to holiness, either not preaching it at all, or not in 
that extent in which it is explained and enforced in the oracles of 
God, or not with an earnestness that bears any proportion to its 
deep importance. Others, again, who fail not to testify, that without 
holiness no man shall see the Lord, and who describe its nature and 
point out its excellency admirably well as far as it is internal, 
are yet short on the head of outward good works, either not incul- 
cating them at all, lest they should be deemed legal preachers, 
(as the phrase is,) or not with a frequency and fervency that is 
any way proportionable to the amazing stress laid on them by our 
Lord and his apostles ; or perhaps they do not descend sufficiently 
to particulars, but content themselves with recommending them in 
the general ; or, it may be, they confine their discourses to certain 
kinds of good works, to which their hearers have not much objec- 
tion, and omit to inculcate others, though equally important, and 
absolutely necessary to be performed. I might enlarge and pro- 
duce many more instances of this partial way of preaching. I 
might particularly name watchfulness, self-denial, taking up the 
daily cress, redeeming time, employing our money and other talents 
to the glory of God and for the good of mankind, as subjects often 
urged in the holy scriptures, but seldom, very seldom so much as 



THE TRUE GLORY OF 



mentioned in some pulpits. But as this would cany me away 
from ray design, I forbear. 

And observe, odly, That as it is a real glory^to a place of wor- 
ship that the gospel be preached in it purely, without any false 
mixture, and fully, without any important defect ; so also that it be 
preached dearly ; I mean that the method and language be intelli- 
gible and plain. This is a very desirable thing indeed, inasmuch 
as without it a preacher will not be well understood, and of conse- 
quence will be of little use. And though, as to this point, there is 
and will be a great difference, all that preach the gospel not having, 
in an equal degree, the gift of thinking clearly upon subjects, or of 
arranging their thoughts in proper order, or of expressing them in 
easy and intell gible language ; yet none will be very deficient in 
perspicuity, who accustom themselves to scriptural ideas, and to 
express those ideas in scriptural words. But where this is 
neglected, 3 ud other authors (the mystic, suppose, or any others 
that depart from the Bible) are more studied and imitated than the 
prophets and apostles, it is no wonder if the speaker, perhaps 
affecting mystery and obscurity, become unintelligible, even upou 
the plainest subjects. Happy those preachers who take the apos- 
tle Peter's advice on this head, and not desiring to be wise above 
w hat is written, endeavour, whenever they speak in public, to speak 
as the oracles of God ! and happy those hearers that sit under such 
preachers. 

7. Once more upon this point; another thing included in this 
glory of the divine word, which I mentioned, is that it be spoken 
with power, I mean, that it reach the hearts of the hearers, and be 
effectual to their conversion, edification, and comfort, INow in 
order to this, two things are essentially necessary, 1st. That the 
preacher experience and practise himself what he inculcates upon 
others : and 2dly, that he have the presence of his Master with 
him, and the heavenly unction of his Spirit accompanying his word. 
Without the former, a preacher will not feel himself what he deli- 
vers, and of consequence will not make others feel ; and without the 
latter, whatever effect is produced will be very transient. But 
wiiere both these are united, the sacred truths of the gospel, like 
live coals from the altar, proceeding from a mind burning with 
divine love, by the blessed agency of the Holy Spirit, will fall 
flaming upon the souls of the hearers, and that in such abundance. 



A HOUSE OF GOD. 



181 



as uot only to melt a heart of wax, but even a heart of ice, or rend 
in sunder a heart of marble, so that the waters of genuine repent- 
ance will flow forth, and a way be made for the entrance of ihe 
Lord of glory into the soul of the humble worshipper. 

8. This leads me to mention a second particular, constituting 
the true glory of a house of God, viz. that good, spiritual good, 
be done in it. Now, 1st, good is done when the dark minds of 
men are enlightened, and they are made acquainted with things 
spiritual and divine ; when they are brought to know themselves 
to be those fallen creatures that the scriptures describe, ignorant, 
sinful, guilty, depraved, weak, and wretched; when they are 
instructed in the way of salvation through faith in a Mediator 
between God and man ; in the will of God and their duty ; when 
God himself, in his nature and attributes, in his word and works, 
is made known to them, that they may no longer blindly worship 
and serve an unknown God, but being acquainted with him, may 
pay him the homage and obedience he requires and will accept. 
Good is done yet more, 2dly, when men are not only enlightened 
to see, but awakened to feel, (as it werej divine truths, so that 
they come to them (as St. Paul has it) tc not in word only, but also 
in power, in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance when they 
are not only convinced of sin, but also of righteousness, and " being 
justified by faith find peace with God," and are " in Christ new 
creatures." Good is done most of all, 3dly, when those that are 
born of God's Spirit are trained up for his kingdom, and instead of 
beiog suffered to halt in, or go back from his ways, are led forward 
in all holiness and usefulness, both inward and outward, so as to be 
made " meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in 
light," and receive a full reward in the kingdom of their Father. 

9. Hence Avill arise a thir d glory : such a place will be crowded 
with attentive, intelligent hearers, humble, devout worshippers, 
exemplary, useful christians ; with hearers that attend to and under- 
stand what is spoken, that can distinguish truth from error, and 
can discern between wholesome food and poison; with worshippers 
that " worship the Father in spirit and in truth," that " pray in the 
Holy Ghost," praise God from a sense of his goodness, and being 
" joined to the Lord in one Spirit, have fellowship with the Father 
and with his Son Jesus Christ;" with christians, who have the 
■Spirit as well as the letter of Christianity, the power as well as the 



182 



THE TRUE GLORY OF 



form of godliness, who have in them the " mind that was in Christ, 
and walk as he also walked, 1 ' who adorn their profession by an 
unblameable conduct, and bless their town and neighbourhood by 
an uninterrupted course of good works, done to the bodies and souls 
of men. This, ray brethren, is a glory indeed, and such as would 
shed a lustre upon a building very inferior to this in external 
workmanship. God grant that this glory may belong to this place ! 
I doubt not but the hearts of hundreds of you say, Amen ! And 
I trust your prayers will be heard : but, to prevent your being dis- 
couraged, you must remember, this is a work of time, and that the 
gospel does not find people pious, but is intended to make them 
such. 

10. At first, and for some time, many that attend here will be the 
reverse of the characters I have noticed, both ignorant and wicked, 
both careless and useless. Nay, and there is reason to fear, not- 
withstanding all that can be done for them, that many will remain 
such. But, I trust, not all. Some, at least, and (I would fain 
hope) not a few, will meet with a spiritual cure in this Bethesda, 
this house of mercy, this hospital of souls, which God hath inclined 
and enabled you to erect out of compassion for your sick and dying 
fellow-creatures. And be sure you never despair of any, be they 
ever so far gone in the wasting and painful disorders of sin, but 
bring them hither with you, and in earnest prayer and supplication, 
recommend them to the attention and care of that great and good 
Physician of souls, who (I trust) will not fail to attend here from 
time to time, and visit every ward in this spiritual infirmary. May 
he find thee out, in thy disabled and languishing state, thou poor, 
disconsolate mourner ! 

11. This brings me to the fourth real glory of a house of God, 
and the last I shall now mention, viz. The presence of the Master 
in his own house, of the Father of the family in his own family, 
And this is graciously promised in his word of truth, all the 
promises of which are Yea and Amen. " Where two or three are 
met together in my name, says Jesus, there am I in the midst of 
them." " In every place where I record my name, says God 
the Father, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." This, 
my brethren, is the chief glory of a place of worship, that the 
God of glory be in it to bless his worshippers. But this is a 
glory that depends, not upon the place, but upon those that wor- 



A HOUSE OF GOD, 133 

ship ia it. It is not skill in architecture, manifested in the beauty 
or commodiousness of the church, chapel, or preaching-house, 
that can invite or ensure the divine presence, but it is the serious- 
ness, humility, faith, and devotion of those that assemble therein, 
that will be crowned with that blessing. For though God grants 
his presence and all his blessings of mere grace and mercy, yet 
levity and pride, unbelief and formality, (not to mention known 
and wilful sin) in his professing people, will always be a bar and 
hindrance to the communication of them. And the Lord by with- 
drawing himself and keeping at a distance from such worshippers, 
will show that he is displeased with and reseuts their conduct. 
Let us therefore expect and wait for his presence in his own way, 
and we shall not be disappointed. 

__12. And now it will not be difficult to say when one place ex- 
ceeds another in glory. That place where the word of God is 
preached most purely, with fewest human mixtures; most fully, 
nothing being kept back that would be profitable ; most clearly, 
the language being plain and the method natural and distinct; 
most powerfully, the Spirit of God accompanying what is spoken, and 
rendering it the power of God unto salvation to those that attend : 
That place where the most good is done, where the greatest num- 
ber of sinners are converted to God, and those that are converted 
are built up in holiness : That place where the greatest number of 
real christians and spiritual worshippers assemble to hear the word 
of God, and join together in prayer and praise ; and where the 
Lord most manifests his presence, displays his glory, and pours 
out his Spirit; — That place (I say) undoubtedly exceeds other 
places in glory, even though it should have nothing external, as 
to beauty or ornament, or even commodiousness belonging to it. 

13. My dear brethren, it will fill your hearts with gratitude, 
to look back and see that your last house was not without its 
glory in all these respects. There the pure word of God was (I 
hope) fully and clearly preached, and that with a measure of di- 
vine power accompanying and rendering it effectual to the conver- 
sion, edification, and comfort of many souls. There many that 
were ignorant received instruction, many that were guilty received 
forgiveness, and many that had long lived in all manner of vice 
and profaneness, were " created in Jesus Christ unto good works," 
and have since that time " adorned the doctrine of God their 



THE TRUE GLORY OF 



Saviour iu all things." Some of these (who would have rejoiced 
to have seeu what we see this day) have already finished their 
course, and are now with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the king- 
dom of God ; and others are here present at this time, and can 
bear witness to the trutli of what I say. 

14. But though, in these respects, the former house was glo- 
rious, excuse me, if I this day express a hope that this latter 
house will exceed in glory. If I did not fear it might have the 
appearance of boasting, and if I did not think it better to let the 
event speak for itself in this case, I would proceed to give you 
some reasons of this hope. I would say, that the preachers, as 
a body, for whose use this place is intended, are much advan- 
ced in knowledge and experience, and that from hence one may 
reasonably expect the gospel will be preached by them more 
purely, fully, and clearly, than it was years ago. I trust also that 
many of them are grown iu grace and in a conformity to their living 
head, whence one may hope their word will be attended with 
more power, and will be made a greater blessing. I might observe, 
that this house, being much larger than the other, affords a larger 
field to labour in, and makes room for a greater number of sick 
and disordered souls than could get admittance into the other 
comparatively small place, that they may receive a cure and re- 
cover spiritual health. The consequence of this will be, more 
true worshippers will assemble here than attended at the former 
house, and in answer to their prayers (I trust) a more glorious 
display of the divine presence will be witnessed. 

15. But while I go on hinting to you, in this way, the grounds 
of my hope that the glory of this latter house will exceed the 
glory of the former, I find myself secretly checked by a fear, lest 
as your congregation increases, and you grow more into repute in 
the town and neighbourhood, the spirit of the world should in- 
crease among you and mar your rising glory. And I think it my 
duty to say, that it is not impossible, but our crafty adversary (of 
whose devices you are not ignorant) may hope to bring evil out of 
this good, and make what ought to be the occasion of our rise the 
means of our/a//. For while the greater comrnodiousness, not 
to say neatness and beauty of this lovely place, invites more of 
the rich and gay to associate with you in your worship, there is 
i danger lest this should be an introduction to that acquaintance 



A HOUSE OF GOD, j £>5 

with them, which indeed may awd will, if you are faithful, do 
them an eternal good and make them bless the day that ever they 
came within these doors ; but if not, may gradually do you hurt, 
cause your " fine gold to become dim," and " intermix your wine 
with water." Leaving therefore the event to determine fully 
which house will exceed in glory, I hasten, 

II. To call your attention to the gracious promise here made 
with regard to the Temple at Jerusalem, where the Saviour was 
to appear, and every place where his gospel is properly preached, 
and he is present by his Spirit, " In this place will I give peace, 
saith the Lord of Hosts." 

1. To understand this divine promise, we must recollect that 
man is by nature at enmity with God. According to the doctrine 
of scripture, a doctrine confirmed by the experience of all na- 
tions and ages, " all have sinned and come short of the glory of 
God, the whole world is guilty before God," and all man- 
kind "are by nature children of wrath," that is, are under 
condemnation, and exposed to divine wrath on account of their 
original depravity and actual transgressions. There is an 
enmity on the part of man towards God : " The carnal mind, 
''says St. Paul,) is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law 
of God, neither indeed can be." And in consequence of this, 
there is wrath on the part of God towards man, ** wrath revealed 
from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." 

2. JXow as we were without strength in this matter, and could 
neither by our own works remove the wrath on God's part, and 
reconcile him to us, nor by our own power remove the enmity on 
our part and reconcile ourselves to God, therefore God hath pro- 
vided a Mediator between himself and us to make up this breach, 
in a way consistent with his own honour and our salvation. That 
he might be glorified while man was saved, that is, that the evil of 
sin might be manifested while ils guilt was cancelled ; that God 
might display his justice in punishing it, while he manifested hh 
mercy in pardoning it, he " sent his own Son in the likeness of sin- 
ful flesh to be a sacrifice for sin, thereby condemning sin in the 
flesh." " On him he hath laid the iniquities of us all, hath wounded 
him for our transgressions, and bruized him for our iniquities, and 
caused him to bear the chastisement of our peace." TJ!m he hath 

Z 



136 



THE TRUE GLORY OF 



set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare 
his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the 
forbearance of God, to declare, I say, his righteousness," that is, 
his justice as well as mercy, " that he might be just," while he is 
the merciful " justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." This man, 
therefore, is said by Micah to be the peace, chap. v. 5. And St. 
Paul tells us, Col. i. 19, &c. " that it pleased the Father that in 
him should all fulness dwell; and haviDg made peace by the blood 
of the cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself. w He is the 
peace between Jews and Gentiles, (as we are assured, Eph. ii. 14.) 
" who makes br»th one, breaking down the middle wall of partition 
(viz. the ceremonial law) that was between them ;" and much more 
is he the peace between man and God, " reconciling us to God by 
the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. 

3. To dwell a moment upon this: it appears from most of the 
passages just quoted, that Christ by his death not only atones for 
sin, and reconciles God to us, but also us to God. His death upon 
the cross being the most wonderful instance of God's love to a lost 
world, which ever was or could be given, has a manifest tendency, 
in its own nature, when discovered to the soul in all its mysterious 
grace, to soften, melt, subdue, and win over the whole heart to 
God. - " They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and 
they shall mourn," says the prophet Zachariah. " If I be lifted 
up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me," says Jesus. 
"The love of Christ coustraineth us, (says St. Paul,) while we thus 
judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead, and that he died 
for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto them- 
selves, but unto him that died for them, and rose again." 

" Thus while I hear my Saviour God, 
Count o'er my sins, a heavy load, 

He bore upon the tree ; 
Inward I blush with secret shame, 
And weep, and love, and bless the name, 
That knew nor sin, nor grief, nor shame, 

Rut bore them all for me." 

It is true, the sufferings and death of Christ cannot produce this 
effect without the influence of the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to i 
" take of tfie things of Jesus and show them unto us." But then 
his death also opens a way for our receiving that influence. For 



A HOUSE OF GOD. 187 

being " delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justifi- 
cation, he hath ascended up on high, led captivity captvve, and 
received gifts for men, even for the rebellious;" hath "received 
of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit," to work repentance 
and faith in us, to subdue our enmity, and influence our hearts with 
peace and love. 

4. For be it observed, though peace with God is free for all ; 
though none are excluded from it who do not exclude themselves ; 
though the Lord proclaims " peace, peace, to him that is near, and 
to him that is afar off;" yet none can partake of it without 
"repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." 
As God will never be reconciled to an impenitent, unbelieving sin- 
ner, so such an one is not reconciled to God, and never can eujoy 
peace of mind ; no, the wicked, the inwardly as well as outwardly 
"wicked, the unconverted, the unregenerate. " are like the troubled 
sea which cannot rest; There is no peace, saith my God, to the 
wicked." Repentance, therefore, is absolutely necessary, yea, and 
fruits meet for repentance. Equally necessary is faith in our 

Lord Jesus Christ, without which, notwithstanding our repentance, 
we are still " condemned, and the wrath of God abideth on us." 
And this faith, we must remember, must work by love, overcome 
the world, and purify the heart. When a true penitent comes to 
God by this faith, casting his soul, with all his sins, on the Lord 
Jesus, " the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world," 
and embracing the promises of God made through him, God 
becomes " merciful to his unrighteousness, and remembers his sins 
and iniquities no more." And " being justified by faith he has 
peace with God." 

5. Now the never- failing fruit of this peace with God is peace 
of mind. For as " there is no condemnation from God, to those 
that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the 
Spirit,'' so neither are they condemned in their own hearts. Their 
past sins being pardoned, and their present corruptions being con- 
quered, it canuot be but they must have the answer of a good con- 
science, " a conscience void of offence towards God and towards 
man." Hence they must have confidence towards God, and will 
be enabled to cast their care upon him for all that they want for 
body and soul, for time and for eternity. And the fruit of this will 
be a serenity of mind, a tranquillity of spirit, which the apostle 



183 



THE TRUE GLORY OF 



calls u a peace that passeth all understanding." " Thou wilt keep 
him," says Isaiah, " in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on 
thee, because he trusteth in thee." Pride, self-Trill, discontent, 
impatience, anger, malice, envy, distrust, anxiety, and other 
unhappy and uneasy passions, being subdued ; and humility, resig- 
nation, meekness, and love, taking place, they must (as our Lord 
expresses it) " find rest to their souls," and " the peace of God 
will keep their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 

6. And will not such, " as much as in them lieth, live peace- 
ably with all men ?" Surely, they will not knowingly injure any 
man in his person, property, or character; and when others injure 
them, they will manifest a meek, gentle, and Joy •giving spirit. 
Iiij istice, oppression, guile, fraud, covetousness, ambition, and 
other causes of quarrelling being removed, peace will take place 
in families and neighbourhoods ; and in proportion as this religion 
gains ground, peace will spread its influence over all the earth, so 
that " men shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their 
spears into pruning- hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against 
nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Such is the happy 
tendency of the religion of Jesus, a religion of peace and love ! 

" Sweet peace it brings wherever it arrives, 
It builds our quiet, as it forms our lives, 
Lays the roug-h paths of peevish nature even, 
And opens in each breast a little heaven." 

Such are the trophies of the Prince of Peace, whose nativity we 
are about to celebrate. Well might the heavenly host usher in his 
birth by proclaiming, " Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, 
good- will towards men." 

7. ]N"ow this peace is represented in my text as the gift of God. 
"In this place will I give peace." And whether we consider the 
great Peace-maker, the Mediator between God and man, who is the 
Father's gift to a lost world ; or whether we consider the repent- 
ance and faith whereby we obtain an interest in him, which are the 
gifts of God and of the operation of his Spirit; or whether we con- 
sider the peace itself consequent hereupon, the expression is un- 
doubtedly proper; The Lord gives peace. It is not purchased by 
our works, it is not effected by our strength, but it is the free, 
undeserved gift of the Divine mercy, brought into our souls by the 



A HOUSE OF GOD, 1 89 

inspiration of his Holy Spirit. Free grace bestows the inestima- 
ble blessing upon those that are utterly unworthy ; guilty man, with- 
out any pretensions to merit, only receives it, and the Holy Ghost 
seals it upon the conscience, and diffuses it abroad in the heart. 
9 Thus all things are of God, who reconciles us to himself by Jesus 
Christ, and commits to his servants the word of reconciliation, 
'They therefore are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did 
beseech us by them : they pray us in Christ's stead to be reconciled 
to God. For God made him to be sin for us, though he knew no sin, 
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 

8. And because the Mediator between God and man, through 
whom we obtain peace, was to appear in this second temple, and 
while it stood, was to be offered a sacrifice for the sins of mankind; 
because the gospel of peace was to be published, and the Spirit of 
peace bestowed there ; therefore the Lord says, " in this place 
will 1 give peace/' A promise this, which, at least in a secondary 
sense, may be applied to every place where the same Mediator, 
though invisible, is present, the same sacrifice for sin held up, the same 
gospel of peace proclaimed, and the same spirit of peace conferred. 
Where God by his word reconciles sinners to himself; where be 
calls them to repentance, and enables them to believe in the Lord 
Jesus with their hearts unto righteousness ; where he justifies them 
from all things, and gives them peace with himself, and peace of 
mind ; where he influences their heart with love to one another, and 
disposes them to live peaceably with all men ; there surely he may 
properly be said to give peace. 1 doubt not but the event will show 
that he will give it here. 

9. Ami when you observe the word preached here crowned with 
this gift, and made the means of communicating such an inesti- 
mable blessing as peace with God, to your fellow-creatures, a blessing 
that draws after it all the unsearchable riches of grace and glory, 
how will j our hearts rejoice that the Lord inclined you to engage in 
and help forward this design, and how well bestowed will ydi think 
the little money that you have contributed towards it. And, it 
may be, that some person very near and dear to you may here find 
this pearl of great price, an intimate acquaintance suppose, a friend 
whom you love as your own soul, a brother, a sister, a wife, a child, 
(for these you will doubtless endeavour to bring along with you, 
at all opportunities, to tbi? house of prayer) aud in that case how 



190 



tHE TRUE GLORY OF 



will your joy be doubled, and the nearer and dearer the parties 
are to you, the greater will be your joy that they found a spirtual 
cure in this house of mercy which you (through Divine grace inclin- 
ing you) had a hand in erecting. • 

10. But whatever joy it may yield you in time, to see sinners 
converted here, you will rejoice much more on this accouot in eter- 
nity ! When your disembodied spirit in the paradise of God, and 
more especially your whole person at the judgment-seat of Christ, 
sees light in his light, and having your faculties enlarged 
and strengthened beyond what is now conceivable, when you 
look forward through everlasting ages, and view on the one hand 
fiery torments escaped, arid on the other heavenly joys attained 
through your building this place, by a great multitude of pre- 
cious souls, some of them once nearly allied to you by sundry 
close ties, and all your fellow-creatures and your fellow-sinners; 
all the offspring of that one God whom you love, and the 
purchase of that precious blood which was equally shed for you 
and for them, how unspeakable must be your joy ! But I for- 
bear to enlarge upon a thought too great for utterance, and which, if 
pursued, would be an inlet to consolation, too overwhelming for flesh 
and blood to bear; and that this blessed work of saving souls may 
be this day begun, and that upon our first appearing here, we may 
reap the first-fruits of that harvest of conversions to be hereafter 
gathered in this place ; before I conclude, I beg leave just to add 
a few words by way of application and improvement of what has 
been advanced. 

1 . 1 have been describing, my brethren, and pointing out the way to 
that peace with God, and peace of. mind, which is promised to be 
given in this place, and is the only thing that can render life com- 
fortable, death safe, and eternity happy. And now I call upon you 
to examine yourselves touching this matter, whether this peace be 
yours. To know this, recollect, I beseech you, what has been said 
and proved to you from God's word, that there is no peace to the 
wicked that go on in sin, to the impenitent and unbelieving, the uncon- 
verted and unregenerate. 

2. If you are of this number, be assured, you have neither lot 
nor part in this matter. Whether you be outward sinners, such as 
drunkards, swearers, sabbath- breakers ; fornicators, adulterers, un- 
clean persons ; liars, slanderers, evil-speakers; guilty of fraud, vio- 



A HOUSE OF GOD. 



191 



lenee, oppression ,* unjust, unmerciful, deceitful ; or whether you be 
under the power of your inward corruptions, as pride, self-will, 
discontent; anger, malice, envy; hatred, animosity, revenge; 
covetousness, lust, ambition; or whether, although your temper 
be even, and your conduct regular, yet at the same time, your soul 
be unrenewed, your heart cold, and your worship formal, and, 
though you have the form, you be devoid of the power of reli- 
gion ; be it known to you, you have no share in this blessing which 
I have been describing : God is not at peace with you, even as 
you are not at peace with him. On the contrary, his " wrath is 
revealed from heaven" against you, as " against all the ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of men." Wherefore we warn you, " be not 
deceived, God is not mocked:" As sure as he is a being of unspot- 
ted holiness and inflexible justice, so sure, "whatsoever a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap ;" you who " sow to the flesh, shall 
of the flesh reap corruption." His holiness will be to you a con- 
suming fire, his justice will execute strict judgment upon you, and 
you shall infallibly " perish from the way, if his wrath is kindled, 
yea, but a little," how much more when it burns with unabating 
fury, " consumes the earth with its increase, and melts down the 
foundation of the mountains," when "it burns and shall not be 
quenched ?" O ye unholy and profane, " how can ye escape the 
damnation of hell ?" 

3. There is but one way in which you can escape this, and that, 
I fear, is a way in which you do not choose to walk. It is the 
way of unfeigned repentance, lively faith, and new obedience. 
Thus, and only thus, can you find mercy with the Lord, and 
stand approved before the Son of man. Oh hear the voice, 
the sweet and melting voice of mercy! "As I live (saith the 
Lord) I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth ; there- 
fore, turn and live ye. Cease to do evil, learn to do well; wash 
ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before 
mine eyes. Come now, and let us reason together, (saith the Lord) 
though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow, though 
they be red as crimson they shall be as wool ; for all manner of 
sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven" unto penitent sinners 
through the Redeemer, whose "blood cleanseth from all sin." 
" Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that 
through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. 



192 



THE TRUE GLORY OF 



and by him ali, that" with penitent hearts, " believe, are justified 
from all things from which they could not be justified by" their 
own obedience. 

4. And does not this cheering voice of mercy gladden thy very 
heart, thou ungodly, guilty, and self-condemned sinner? Dost 
thou not see cause, great cause to praise him, that the door of 
salvation is not yet shut against thee, thee, (I say) who hast so 
long refused to enter in at it ? That he has not yet cut thee down 
who hast so long only cumbered the ground ? Oh praise him, if 
thou hast any sense of gratitude left, that he still waits to be gra- 
cious, still extends the arms of his mercy and love to embrace 
thy guilty soul ! — But at the same time, consider, thou knowest 
not how soon the door may be shut against thee if thou still defer- 
rest to enter: Thou knowest not how soon he may shut up his lov- 
ing-kindness in displeasure, if thou still delayest to take refuge 
there ! Remember, the goodness of God ought to lead thee to repent- 
ance, but if it have not that happy effect, thou wilt soon find it 
changed into a sea of wrathful indignation to overwhelm thy hope- 
less soul ! 

5. I testify to thee this day, in the name of the once- crucified, 
but now highly exalted Saviour, whom thou hast hitherto despised 
and rejected ; if that amazing love which brought him from the 
palaces of heaven, where he was attended and worshipped by 
myriads of angels and archaugels, cherubim and seraphim, into 
this howling wilderness, this world of wo, where he was forsaken 
of all, even of the twelve poor fishermen, his only attendants ; 
which induced him to assume this vile body, subject to infirmity, 
pain, and death, that thou mightest rise through his fall, and be 
exalted through his humiliation ; mightest be invested with the 
divine nature, with holiness, immortality, and bliss, and dwell iu 
mansions of glory for ever ; — the wonderful love which exposed 
him to hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, shame and con- 
tempt, that thy famished and starving soul might be fed with the 
bread of life, refreshed with the wine of divine love, clothed 
with the garments of salvation, and honoured before an assembled 
world the mysterious love which subjected him to the severe 
stroke of his Father's justice, the most malevolent spite of his 
own creatures, and the most implacable malice of infernal fiends, 
that thou mightest be delivered from the power of Satan, enjoy 



A HOUSE OF GOD. 



193 



the good-will of saints and angels, and be happy in the smile and 
favour of thy God; the unsearchable love which filled his soul 
with unknown agony in the garden, crowned his head with sharp 
thorns in the judgment-hall, tore his back with knotty Avhips be- 
fore Pilate, nailed his body to the execrable cross between the 
vilest miscreants, and opened a fouutaiu in his side where thou 
mightest quench thy thirst for happiness, and wash away the filth 
of sin; — if this great, amazing, and unfathomable love (I say) do 
not win thy heart, and melt thee in its holy flame into a vessel 
of honour, I testify to thee, it will suddenly be converted into 
fiery indignation, which will kindle upon and consume thy body 
and soul in its unquenchable flames ! 

Foolish man, what art thou doing ? Despisest thou the riches 
of his glory, the paradise of his delights, the dignity of his 
crown, which he tenderly and earnestly invites thee to share ? 
Slightest thou his love ? His bleeding, agonizing, expiring love ! 
— Has he not suffered enough ? Art thou resolved to crucify him 
afresh and put him to open shame ? Sinner, forbear ! Cease to 
revile and buffet that lovely person ! Cease to spit in that divine 
face which angels gaze upon with rapture! How canst thou 
bruise that sacred head ! Ah ! do not drive those rude nails still 
further ! Why wilt thou give that guiltless heart another and a 
deeper wound ? Sinner, what evil hath he done ? Wherein hath 
he injured thee ? Injured thee ! alas ! he hath loved thee even 
unto death, and quenched by his precious blood the flames of hell 
kindling about thy unholy soul ! And dost thou thus requite his 
undeserved favour and boundless love ? W>etched man, abstain ! 
Join no more the murderers of thy Saviour ! Bid adieu to their 
company ! Let his love overcome thee ! Throw down the weapons 
of thy rebellion ; fall at his dear feet, pierced by thy crimes, and 
distilling a sacred balm to heal thy wounded soul ! And kiss the 
Son lest he be angry ! Remember he has authority to execute 
judgment, to save or to destroy. " He has the keys of death 
and of hell ; he opens and no man shuts, shuts and no man opens." 
If he once " swear in his wrath thou shalt not enter into his rest," 
thy die will be cast, and thy wretched fate determined for ever ! 
Now is the accepted time! now is the day of salvation! ]Now 
knock at the door of mercy, and say, Lord, Lord, open to me ! 

A a 



194 



THE TRUE GLORY OF, &<* 



And he will open to thee; he will pardon, accept, and bless thee, 
and even thou shalt ensure the things which belong to thy peace be- 
fore they are for ever hid from thine eyes i 




SERMON XI 



PREACHED 
©N THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF 

MRS. FOSTER, 

AT THE CHAPEL IN CHERRY-STREET, BIRMINGHAM, 

ON SUNDAY EVENING, AUGUST 29, 1790. 

f would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are 
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others, who have no hope. 
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them 
also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 1 Thess iv. 
13, 14. 

1. A.N eminent French writer, Mons. Saurin, has given it as his 
opinion, that this is one of the most difficult texts in the New Tes- 
tament. Accordingly he presents us with a long and learned expo- 
sition of it, in which he proceeds upon a very singular hypothesis. 
He supposes " that the desire which prevailed in the primitive 
christians to see Christ when he should appear to judgment, made 
them lament those of their brethren who died, as cut off from that 
hope ; and that it was in reference to this, that the apostle assured 
them in this passage, that such would be entirely on a level with 
those of their brethren who should then be found alive." This 
supposition seems to me as improbable as it is extraordinary. It 
is not at all likely that the christians at Thessalonica, who had 
for some time sat under the ministry of an apostle, should either 
be so ignorant as to imagine that those of their brethren who died, 
were cut off from the hope of seeing Christ, when he should appear 
again, or, if they had imagined this, that they should have grieved 
particularly on that account. 



19b* 



ON THE DEATH 



2. Besides, this hypothesis, instead of solving any difficulty 
there may be in the text, or casting any peculiar light upon it, only 
tends to render it more obscure, and to involve the subject in greater 
difficulties. For one may naturally inquire (as a judicious and 
pious writer has justly observed) why the apostle does not directly 
tell them that there was no " particular room for such lamenta- 
tions on this account, as they themselves, and many succeeding 
generations, were to die before the coming of Christ." To answer 
this objection, M. Saurin is driven to acknowledge, that "the 
apostle did not urge that, because he did not then exactly know 
whether Christ's appearance would be in that age, or at some much 
more remote distance of time." 

3. But though we should allow that the apostle's ignorance as to 
that point, might be very consistent with the kuowledge of all that 
was necessary to the preaching of the gospel, and the full and pro- 
per execution of his office; yet we have no authority from his 
own epistles, or from any accounts that antiquity has handed down 
concerning him, to suppose that he was ignorant respecting it. It 
is true, from the following words in the 15th verse, We who are 
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, some have inferred 
that the apostle expected himself to be found alive at our Lord's 
second coming. But this inference they would hardly have drawn, 
had they observed how common it is with all the inspired writers 
to speak as if they included themselves, when in reality they did 
not intend it. Thus Hosea says, There (viz. in Bethel) God spake 
with us. Surely, Hosea was not at Bethel, nay, was not in exist- 
ence, when God spake with Jacob there. The Psalmist, speaking 
of the dividing of the Bed Sea* says, There did we rejoice in him. 
And yet he could not be present when the Red Sea was divided. 
In like manner, the apostle Janus, speaking of the tongue, says. 
Therewith curse we men. Certainly he did not curse men. Just 
so, St. Paul did not mean to be understood strictly in these words, 
as if he asserted that he should be alive when Jesus should appear 
to judgment ! but he speaks of diose who should be found alive at 
that time. 

4. That this is the true interpretation of the apostle's words, 
appears from hence, that in several of his epistles he plainly 



* Psalm Ixvi. <?. 



OF MRS, FOSTER. 197 

expresses his expectation of dying before the coining of Christ, 
(see Phil. i. 20. 1 Cor. vi. 14. 2 Cor.iv. 14. 2 Tim. iv. 6.) Aud 
in the 2d epistle to this people, assures them that the " day of the 
Lord was not at hand, and would not come, except there came a 
falling away first, and the man of sin were revealed, the son of 
perdition,"* of whom he prophesies such things as were not likely 
at all to be fulfilled in that pure age of the church. Add to this, 
that what he said on this occasion, he said by the word of the 
Lord, that is, by an express revelation from him, and surely the 
Lord could not be mistaken, t He knew his apostle would not be 
found alive at his second coming. 

5. The above-mentioned hypothesis, therefore, is not to be 
admitted. And there is no need of it. The text is easily 
explained without it. We have only to suppose, that the apostle 
had observed himself while at Thcssalonica, or had been informed 
by Timothy, after he left that city, how tenderly many of his new 
converts had been affected by the departure of such as had been 
taken from them since they had embraced Christianity, and that he 
intended in these words, to suggest considerations, which, if believed 
and laid to heart, would be effectual, if not entirely to remove, yet, 
greatly to moderate their sorrow. And at the same time, foreseeing 
what a temptation to excessive grief among the tender-hearted 
and benevolent followers of Jesus, the death of their brethren, 
especially of such as were peculiarly dear to them, would be in every 
age ; he might also, in this admirable passage, consult the benefit 
of future ages, even of as many as should read his excellent epis- 
tles to the end of time. 

And, as the pious writer quoted above, justly observes, il Who 
can be sufficiently thankful for the strong consolation these divine 
words administer!" How mauy drooping hearts have been cheered 
by them in every age, while successively mourning over the pious 
dead ! How often have we ourselves been driven to them, as to a 
sacred anchor, when our hearts have been overwhelmed within us! 
And if God continue us a few years longer, what repeated occa- 
sions may arise of our flying to them again! 5 ' 

6. Let us fly to them at this time, my brethren, in our distress 
for the loss, sudden aud unlooked-for, of one dear to many of you. 



2 Thess. ii. 2. 



193 



ON THE DEATH 



snatched away in the bloom of youth, and in the pride of her years, 
from a mourning and disconsolate husband, (to whom I hope the 
severe stroke will be sanctified,) and from a rising progeny, who are 
yet too young to be sensible of the loss they have sustained, or to shed 
one tear on the mournful occasion ! I doubt not, my brethren, but 
you will join with me in praying that their mother's God, the parent 
of the orphan, and the helper of the helpless, may be the protection 
of their infancy, the guide of their youth, and the support and 
consolation of their riper age ! And that many years hence, when 
her prayers have been heard for them, and they are born of the 
Spirit of God, made new creatures in Christ Jesus, and have 
long served God and their generation faithfully, according to the 
divine will, they may be welcomed by her that bare them, (and 
who in giving life to them suffered death herself) into everlasting 
habitations ! It is true, she was hardly spared long enough with 
them to know them all on earth, and much less to give them an 
opportunity of knowing her ; yet, I doubt not, but she will 
acknowledge them in that day for her children, while they also 
are divinely instructed to look up and call her mother ! Then the 
present breach will be more than made up ! The husband will 
again receive his wife, and the mother will embrace her children \ 
But, oh ! how changed ! All immortal ! All glorious ! and in 
a Avorld where pain and parting, sin and sorrow, are no more ! 
There in those bright realms, no tender and dying mothers, with 
bleeding hearts, weep over the helpless infants from whom they 
are about to be torn, and whom they are to leave behind in as 
ensuaring and troublesome world : And, no affectionate, inconsola- 
ble husbands cling to the cold remains of departed wives ! There 
pious friends and relatives, separated for a season, are united 
again to be parted no more. And there, their felicity is pure 
without alloy, full without measure, and lasting without end ! 

In discoursing further from this important, comfortable, and I think 
not obscure passage, I wish to call your attention, 

I. To the Character of those who may properly be said to sleep 
in Jesus. 

II. To the Hope which we entertain concerning such, with the 
foundation and certainty of this hope, and, 



OF MRS. FOSTER, 



199 



III. To the proper Fruit of it, if not entirely to remove, yet 
greatly to moderate our sorrow, and turn it into a lasting mean of 
good. 

And, 1st, we are to consider who they are that sleep in Jesus. 

1. Upon this head I shall say but little, tor I consider myself as 
discoursing to a congregation who are frequently addressed on such 
topics, and who certainly, in general, are not ignorant concerning 
them. You know, my brethren, that a mau caunot, with any propriety, 
be said to sleep in Jesus, unless he first be in Jesus, that is, unless 
he be possessed of a real, vital union with him. This union with 
Christ is much spoken of, and frequently inculcated in the New 
Testament, and is illustrated by our Lord in the xvth chapter of 
St. John's gospel, by the union which subsists between iie vine 
and its branches. Now the branch is not only supported by the 
vine, and adheres to it, but it derives sap, and of consequence 
growth and ftuHJulness from it. Just so, they that are united to 
Jesus not only depend upon and cleave to him, but " receive out 
of his fulness grace to help in time of need." And their knowledge 
in divine things, their holiness and happiness, yea, and their use- 
fulness too, in a great measure, depend hereupon. " I am the 
Vine, (says he,) ye are the branches. Abide in me, and 1 in you ; 
for as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in 
the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. He that 
abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, 
for without me ye can do nothing.*' A most express and impor- 
tant declaration. Would to God it Avere laid to heart by all pro- 
fessors of religion ! 

2. St. Paul uses another comparison. In divers parts of his 
epistle, he illustrates the union which a believer has with Christ, 
by that which the members of the human body have with the head 
of it. " As the body is one, (says he,) and hath many member?, 
and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; 
so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one 
body, and have been all made to drink of one Spirit."* And again,' 
" Ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."! Now 
the human body is not only guided and governed by the head, but 
has life and nourishment communicated therefrom. In allusion to 



* 1 Cor. xii. 12. f Ver. 27 : 



200 



ON THE DEATH 



this, the apostle exhorts us to " grow up into Christ, who is the 
head, in all things ; from whom, (adds he,) the whole body, fitly 
joined together and compacted, by that which every joint supplieth, 
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, 
maketh increase of the body." # He speaks to the same purpose 
in the episile to the Colossians. " He is the head of his body, the 
church ; — the head from which all the body by joints and bands 
having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with 
all the increase of God."f 

2. The Lord Jesus, therefore, our living Head, not only instructs 
and guides us as our prophet, and commands and governs us as our 
King; but as the High Priest of our profession, who ever liveth 
to make intercession for us, he receives of the Father and com- 
municates to us those supplies of grace, those influences of the Holy 
Spirit, whereby Ave not only grow up into him our living Head in 
all things, and in due time arrive at the measure of the stature of 
^is fulness; but are enabled to act the part assigned us as particu- 
lar members of the body for the good of the whole. And then, 
as there is a real and sensible sympathy between the head and its 
members, so we are assured that the High Priest of our profession 
is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities, 1 ' and tenderly 
sympathizes with us; while, on the other hand, we have " fellowship 
with him in his sufferings," and are affected with the wants and 
distresses of every fellow-member of his mystical body. 

4. It appears from ail this, 2dly, that those who have union 
with Jesus, have also an interest in him, just as a branch has an 
Interest in the tree in which it grows, such as it has in no other tree 
in the world ; and the member an interest in the head of the body 
m which it belongs, such as it has in the head of no other body. 

My beloved is mine," says the spouse, " and I am his." Christ 
is theirs, and they are his. They are his, being dedicated to him 
m faith and love, and employed for him in duty and service, living 
no longer ;4 unto themselves, but unto him that died for them and 
rose again." And he is theirs, being <; made of God unto them 
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." As their 
wisdotn, he teaches them by his word and Spirit to know both their 
ditty aad their happiness, and though they were once darkness* 

* Eph. ir, 15. f Col. i. 18. and ii. 1ft 



OF MRS. FOSTER. oqj 

they are now light in him, the Lord. As their righteousness, he 
justifies them from all things, and through him they have peace with 
God. As their sanctificalion, he communicates that grace, whereby 
they are not only delivered from the power, but at length purged 
from the defilement of sin, and restored to the " image of him that 
created them,-' even righteousness and true holiness. And as their 
redemption, he will, in due time, rescue them from all the conse- 
quences of the fall, will ransom their very bodies from the grave, 
and fix them in glory and felicity for ever. 

5. As to the means whereby we obtain this high privilege, and 
the marks whereby we are satisfied ourselves, and give proof to 
others that we possess it, I ueed say but little. It is manifest from 
what has already been advanced, that it is not the being baptized 
w ith water, and making a profession of Christianity, that can either 
entitle us to, or put us in possession of such an inestimable bless- 
ing. No : a person may, according to St. Paul's doctrine,* 6< pro- 
fess to know God, and yet by works deny him," as it is but too 
visible, the greatest part of the professors of Christianity do at this 
day. Nor is it enough that " he that names the uame of Christ," 
or has that name named upon him in baptism, " departs from 
iniquity," and is in all outward things unblameable. Even this 
will not entitle a man to this bh ssiug, or prove that he is in pos- 
session of it. For we may have " a name to live, when we are 
dead/'f And whatever a man may be in his outward deportment, 
however blameless, however exemplary, yet if he be not " born 
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God;" if he have not the 
" Spirit of Christ, he is none of his," and if Christ be not " in 
him, dwelling in his heart by faith, he is a reprobate.";); Neither 
will the most diligent and constant attendance upon the means of 
grace and ordinances of God, whether public or private, unite us 
savingly to Christ, or afford sure proof of our beiug possessed of 
an interest in him. For, if St. Paul may be credited, a man may 
have a form of godliness, and may be destitute of the power, and 
if the faithful and true Witness may be depended upon, the only 
true n-orslupptrs are those ' ; that worship the Father in Spirit and 
in truth." Nay, and as to good works, even works of mercy, done 
to the bodies and souls of men, on which the greatest stress seems 



* Tit. i. 16. t Rev. iii. 3. % 2 Cor. xjii. 5. 

B b 



202 



ON THE DEATH 



to be laid by most, yet even these themselves, however largely and 
earnestly inculcated in the holy scriptures, are not, properly speak- 
ing, the means whereby we are ingrafted into Christ, nor are they 
of themselves sufficient evidences that we belong to him. " For 
though I give all my goods to feed the poor, (says the last-men- 
tioned apostle,*) and have not lo\e, I am nothing." For "in 
Christ Jesus, nothing availeth, but faith that worketh by love."f 

6. This is properly the mean whereby we obtain this blessing, 
even faith working by love, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
in the glad tidings of salvation through him. For so he himself 
tells us, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life; he that believeth on him is not condemned, but he 
that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not 
believed on the name of the only-begotten Son of God." These 
words of our Lord are echoed by John the Baptist, and confirmed, 
if they need any confirmation, by the testimony of all the apostles: 
11 He that believeth on the Son," saith the Baptist, " hath ever- 
lasting life ; and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life ; 
but the wrath of God abideth on him." " By grace are ye saved 
through faith," saith St. Paul: " The just," adds he, "shall live 
by faith." And speaking of himself and of every true christian, 
lie observes, "The life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son 
of God, who hath loved me, and given himself for me." " These 
things," says St. John, " have I written unto you that believe on 
the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eter- 
nal life, and that ye may believe," that is, may continue to believe, 
"on the name of the Son of God." 

7. But let it be observed, that this faith in our Lord Jesus 
Christ, always preceded by repentance towards God, is not barely 
" a conviction that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of 
God, the Saviour of the world:" for it is certain the devils 
believe this, and yet are not saved, and thousands upon earth have 
the same faith, and yet live and die in their sins : nor is it merely 
a persuasion, however real and strong, that he hath done and suf- 
fered all that is recorded in the New Testament concerning him, 
and therefore is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto 



* 1 Cor. xiii. 3. f Gal. v. 6. 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 203 

God by him. But, added to this, it implies, according to the ac- 
count frequently given of it by our Lord himself, and by his apos- 
tles, a coming to him, and confiding in him for salvation, together 
with the receiving of him in every office and character which he 
sustains. This clearly appears from the following, and such like 
passages. " Come unto me, ye that are weary and heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest. — If any man thirst, let him come unto 

me and drink He that cometh unto me shall never hunger, and 

he that believeth in me shall never thirst. — That we should be to 
the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. — To as many 
as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of 
God, even to them that believe in his name." 

8. JNow by this faith, which is of the operation of the Spirit of 
God, are we ingrafted into Christ, and made new creatures in him. 
" Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new !' 5 
The old man is put off, and the new man is put on, and we are 
renewed in the spirit of our minds, are renewed after the image of 
him that created us. We have in us the mind that was in Christ : 
we resemble him in all spiritual graces and heavenly virtues, and 
being conformed to him inwardly, we make it our care also to 
copy after him outwardly, and to walk as he walked. 

He then that lives, and in consequence thereof dies, in the pos- 
session of this faith, and by this faith in a state of union with the 
Lord Jesus : he that has an interest in him, so that he can say, 
My beloved is mine, and has drunk into his Spirit, so that he can tes- 
tify, he dwells in me. He that has " Christ formed in him the hope 
of glory and diligently follows his blessed example; imitating 
his humility, resignation, and patience ; his meekness, gentleness, 
and long-suffering; his love, purity, and obedience: he that holds 
on, and holds out ; that overcomes to the last, that is, faithful unto 
death, and endures unto the end; he certainly sleeps in Jesus, and 
is entitled to all the blessings comprehended in the hope which the 
scripture encourages us to entertain concerning such. 

But, II. What is this hope ? This is the next thing to be consi- 
dered. 

1. With respect to this, I observe, 1st, that our hope concerning 
them is, that they only sleep : They are not dead. This is the 



204 



ON THE DEATH 



expression used by the apostle in my text. He does not say, that 
those of whom he speaks, die, but that they sleep in .jesus. The 
same word he also uses elsewhere, " Many are weak and sickly 
araoDg j ou, aDd many sleep."* " We shall not all sleep, we shall 
all be changed."! But then we must take care we do not misun- 
derstand the apostle. He does iiGt speak this of the soul, but only 
of the body. It is not the former, but the latter that sleeps ; si eps, 
as Daniel expresses it, in the dust of the earth, where certainly 
the soul is not. 

2. It is true, this distinction between soul and body, believed 
and maintained almost universally among the very heathen, is dis- 
carded by many in our age ; particularly by a great man, whose 
doctrine many years ago published to the world, in his Disquisitions 
on Matter and Spirit and in his Philosophical Necessity, is, That 
man has no soul, no rational and immortal principle within him, but 
is a purely mechanical being, wholly made of matter, and of con- 
sequence at death, wholly turns to dust ! Though this unphilo- 
sopbxal, unscriptural, and uncomfortable doctrine, is sufficiently 
exposed in two Tracts, published two years ago, which many of 
you have read, especially the Essay in proof of an immortal spi- 
rit in man; yet for the sake of many here present to-night, who 
have not seen these tracts, I shall dwell a little upon the subject, 
and bring forward again a few texts of scripture, which no wit nor 
artijice of man, will ever be able to reconcile with that system. 
Indeed, the doctrine of Materialism is as contrary to sound philo- 
sophy, as it is to scriptural Christianity. Even that teaches, and 
has always taught, that mere matter cannot think, and that spirit 
cannot die, unless, I mean, by an act of the omnipotent Creator's 
will, who certainly can as easily reduce to nothing, as he could 
call forth from nothing, any creature he has made. But though 
I mention this, it is not my intention to rest this weighty matter 
upon the uncertain decisions of philosophy. No ; to the law and 
the testimony I make my appeal, and am persuaded, my brethren, 
that you in general will allow with me, that if any man speak not 
according to these infallible records, it is not owing to his superior 
light, but to his greater darkness. It is because there is no light 
in him. 



* 1 Cor. xt 30. f 1 Cor. xv. 51 



OF MRS. FOSTER, 



205 



3. Among a multitude of passages, which I might quote on this 
occasion, from these lively oracles of divine truth, and which would 
be to my purpose, the following seem manifestly to teach that dis- 
tinction between soul and body, between spirit and matter, which 
I speak oi\ and which the church of Christ has in all ages firmly 
believed. " Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and 
the spirit, shall return to God who gave it. 1 '* " If Christ be in 
you, yet the body is dead, (B-vnrov, mortal) because of sin, (for- 
merly committed; but the spirit, (or soul) is life, (is immortal) 
because of righteousness ; and if he that raised up Christ from the 
dead dwell in you, — he will also quicken your mortal bodies by 
his Spirit that dwelleth in you."f " Fear not them that can kill 
the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him 
who can destroy both soul and body in hell. "J " Whether in the 
body, or out of the body, I cannot tell, (God knoweth:) — he was 
caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable things, which it is 
not possible for man to utter. "§ " I think it right, as long as I am 
in this tabernacle, to stir you up ; knowing that shortly I must put 
off my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed 
me."|| Now I appeal to any reasonable man, heathen or christian, 
whether these texts do not imply that man has a .souZ, and whether 
it be possible to put any tolerable sense upon them, on the supposi- 
tion that he has not ? 

4. And that the soul does not sleep with the body, but is in a 
degree of happiness or misery immediately after death, is equally 
manifest, from the same inspired writings. 

" The beggar died, and was carried by angels into Abraham's 
bosom. The rich man also died and was buried : and in hell he 
lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, 
and Lazarus in his bosom."!! And that this is a representation of 
what happens immediately after death, and not of what will 
take place at the second coming of Christ, when all the dead will 
be raised, and the living changed, is plain from the 27th and 28th 
verses, in which we are informed, that while this passed in the 
invisible world, the rich man's brethren were still alive upon the 
earth, living, it seems, in an ungodly manner, and therefore, he 



* Ecclcs. xii. 7. f Rom. viii. 10, 11. { Matt. x. 28. § 2 Cor. xiL 
3, 4. !| 2 Pet. i. 13, 14. f Luke xvi. 22, 



206 



ON THE DEATH 



wished them to be warned "lest they also should come into 
that place of torment." 

5. In the 9th verse of the same chapter, our Lord represents those 
whom we have relieved by the mammon of unrighteousness, and 
made our friends, as ready (supposing they go before us) to re- 
ceive us " when Ave fail," that is, plainly, when we die, " into 
everlasting habitations." St. Paul, in the 6th to the Hebrews, 
speaks of some as already " inheriting the promises, through faith 
and patience," and exhorts us to be followers of them ; and in the 
12th chapter, informs us, who and where they are. For speak- 
ing of " Mount Sion, the city of the living God, the heavenly 
Jerusalem," he not only mentions " God the Judge of all, Jesus 
the Mediator of the JN"ew Covenant, an innumerable company of 
angels, and the general assembly and church of the first-born ; 
but also particularly names " the spirits of the just made perfect," 
as one particular class of inhabitants in that heavenly world. In 
consistency with which, one of the scenes of that divine book 
which closes the sacred canon of Scripture, presents us with a view 
of the souls of the martyrs, not dead, nor asleep, but alive and 
active, yea, " crying with a loud voice, and saying, how long, 
O Lord, thou Holy One and true, dost thou not avenge our blood 
on them that dwell upon the earth?" St. Peter informs us of 
" spirits in prison, which were formerly disobedient, when once 
the long-suffering of God waited in the days of jNoah, while the 
ark was preparing." And as our Lord himself proves, from the 
words of God to Moses at the bush, that Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob, were then alive, so all the evangelists, that have recorded 
the wonderful fact of our Lord's transfiguration on the mount, 
have also been particular in informing us, that there appeared unto 
him Moses and Elias. Now of " Moses, the servant of the Lord," 
it is certain that he ." died, and that the Lord buried him in a 
valley over against Beth-peor, though no man knoweth of his 
sepulchre unto this day." He, therefore, at least, must have 
been a departed spirit, and a spirit not asleep, certainly, but 
awake, intelligent, and active ; for he as well as Elias, conversed 
in some unknown way with our Lord, respecting the decease 
which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. The disciples there- 
fore when they thought they had seen a spirit, though mistaken as 
to the fact, yet, were not mistaken as to their theory. Such a 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 



207 



thing might be that a spirit might appear, which indeed our Lord 
allows in his discourse with them on that occasion, saying, P. A 
spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have." 

But to put this matter beyond all dispute, I will quote a few 
texts more, which not only prove the soul to be distinct from the 
body, and show that it does not sleep, but give us clear and satis- 
factory information where the souls of the faithful departed this 
life are, viz. with Jesus. As it is declared by St. Paul, in the 
next chapter, to have been the design of our Lord in dying for us, 
" that whether we sleep or wake, (die or live,) we might live 
together with him," so we find him demanding of his Father this 
privilege for all his disciples before he died, saying, " Father, I 
will that those whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, 
that they may behold the glory which thou hast given me."* And 
knowing that his Father heard him always, at the same time that 
he commended his own Spirit into the hands of his Father, he 
promised this to the dying thief, in the following well-known 
words, " Verily, I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with 
mo in paradise." Nay, and before this, knowing how great 
would be the efficacy of his death, and the prevalency of his 
intercession, he promised the same privilege, to all his then disci- 
ples, yea, to all that should believe on him in every nation and 
age, saying, " If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come and 
receive you to myself, that where I am, ye may be also." " He 
that believeth on me, though he die (*«v *ro$emj) yet shall he live, 
and he that liveth and believeth in me, shall never die." Accord- 
ing to what he had testified before, " This is the bread that came 
down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die : if a 
man eat of this bread he shall live for ever." " Verily, verily, I 
say unto you, if a man keep my words, he shall never see 
death."f 

7. The apostles and primitive christians, guided as they were 
by the infallible Spirit of their Head, certainly understood the 
meaning of these gracious declarations and promises of the Lord 
Jesus, and in what light they understood them, they themselves 
have informed us. " Lord Jesus," said dying Stephen, "receive 
my Spirit." « We know," says St. Paul, " if the earthly house of 



* John xvii. 24. 



f John vi. 49. & viii. 51. 



208 



ON THE DEATH 



this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a 
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this 
we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house 
which is from heaven ; — knowing, that while we sojourn in the 
body, we are absent from the Lord. — We are confident, (I say) 
and williog rather to be absent from the body and to be present 
with the Lord. And we labour, whether present or absent, to be 
accepted of him." The same apostle speaking of himself, in his 
epistle to the Philippians, says, " To me to live is Christ, and to 
die is gain. And what I should choose I know not. For I am in 
a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and be with 
Christ, which is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more need- 
ful for you. And being persuaded of this, I know that I shall 
remain and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of 
faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant through Jesus 
Christ, by my coming to you again." 

3. Now these are a few of the scriptures, on which we ground 
our hope, respecting the immediate happiness of such as sleep in 
Jesus. On this foundation, we believe, 1st, that the soul is dis- 
tinct from the body, and outlives it: 2dly, that it does not sleep: 
and 3dly, that the souls of the faithful are with Jesus. And let 
him who is able come forward, and remove our foundation. Let 
any who can show us, either that there are no such texts in the 
Bible, or, if there be, that we mistake their meaning : or if he 
can do neither of these, let him prove to us that the Bible is not 
of God, and that Jesus Christ and his apostles are not to be de- 
pended on. Till one or other, or all of these things be done, we 
shall hold fast our confidence and hope, respecting our departed 
friends that have lived and died in the faith of Christ, and in the 
love of God, and shall believe firmly the voice from heaven, 
which St. John heard pronouncing the " dead blessed, that die in 
the Lord :*' and commanding him to write the cheering declara- 
tion : We shall depend upon the testimony of the infallible Spirit, 
which condescended to set his seal to the reviving and comfortable 
doctrine, in the following remarkable words, " Yea, saith the 
Spirit, that they may rest (literally, may be refreshed) after their 
labours, tvot ctvecirotvralcti sx rm xo7rm »v]m ; and their works 
follow them." 



Of MRS. FOSTER, 



209 



9. In the meantime, a second branch of our hope is, that even 
their bodies are not lost, nay, are not dead, at least not finally and 

for ever. They only sleep, tc sleep (as Daniel says) in the dust of 
the earth." The death of the bodies of the saints is very properly 
termed sleep. In sleep the senses are all locked up, the members 
lie motionless, and the body is at rest. Just so at death, we see 
not with these eyes, hear not with these ears, taste not with this 
palate, and are not sensible of any objects that surround us. All 
•ur members are lifeless and motionless, cold and unfeeliug. 

" The languishing- head is at rest, 
Its thinking and aching are o'er; 
The quiet, immoveable breast 
Is heav'd by affliction no more. 

" This heart is no longer the seat 
Of trouble, and torturing pain j 
It ceases to flutter and beat, 
It never shall flutter again " 

The fever no longer rages and burns. The stone no longer 
racks and torments. The consumption no longer wastes and enfee- 
bles. The fainting of weakness, and the anguish of pain, are felt 
and suffered no more. The cold clay is as void of sense as it is 
of motion, and is as far removed from perception as from activity, 

" This earth is affected no more 

With sickness, or shaken with pain 5 
The war in the members is o'er, 
And never shall vex him again : 

« No anger henceforward or shame 
Shall redden the innocent clayj 
Extinct is the animal flame, 
And passion is vanish'd away." 

10. This is the greatest blessing of all, that the flesh no longer 
I lusts against the spirit," and that the corruptible body no longer 
presses down the soul. The cage is broken, and the confined cap- 
tive has recovered its liberty. The prison-walls are fallen down, 
and the prisoner is set free. The cumbrous clay is shaken off, and 

Cc 



210 



-ON THE DEATH 



the winged seraph has found its way to the throue of the Most 
High, in whose presence it adores and bums, converses with its 
fellow-spirits, and drinks immortal life and felicity. Nor is this 
the summit of its honour, or the consummation of its joy. A robe 
of glory is provided to clothe it: a palace of pleasure is built to 
accommodate it. A new body shall arise out of the ashes of the 
fallen tabernacle, which it shall be no disgrace to a son or daughter 
of the Lord Almighty to wear. A body healthy, vigorous, 
immortal ; free from every infirmity, and incapable of any kind 
or degree of pain: a body that shall be luminous, bright, and 
splendid, active as a flame of fire, and quick as the forked lighten- 
ing : a spiritual body, conformed unto Christ's glorious body. 

11. This is the principal reason why the death of the body is 
termed its sleep. It is to assure us, it shall awake again. For 
" all that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." The Lord 
Jesus will come and awake them. They shall " hear his voice 
and live :" shall " hear his voice and come forth," they that sleep 
in him, " to the resurrection of life," and they that sleep not in 
him, " to the resurrection of damnation." And oh ! what a time 
shall that be ! As one observes, " Who can now conceive the rap- 
ture with which so many millions shall start up at once from their 
beds of dust, all arrayed in robes of glory, and, spurning the earth 
in which they have been so long entombed, and all that is mortal 
and corruptible, shall soar aloft in one joyful company, with those 
who shall then be found alive, i to meet the Lord in the air,' form- 
ing a mighty host, 4 bright as the sun, clear as the moon, and awful 
as an army with banners.' " 

12. To enlarge a little upon this animating subject. It appears 
from the apostle's discourse concerning it,* that, though strictly 
speaking, it is not the same body which died that is raised again, 
yet out of the substance of the body which fell shall a new body 
arise, not in a natural but supernatural way, by an extraordinary 
and miraculous exertion of the almighty power of God. And it 
appears too, that the death of the body is so far from being any 
obstruction to its resurrection, that it is a necessary means in order 
thereto. " That which thou sowest, (says he,) is not quickened 
except it die. And thou sowest not that body which shall be, but 



* 1 Cor. xv. 



GF MRS. FOSTER. 



211 



the bare grain ; — and God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, 
and to each of the seeds its own body." God, therefore, will give 
human creatures, human bodies, bodies suitable and peculiar to 
their kind ; but wonderfully changed from what they are at present. 

13. For " it is sown (an expressive word, co . itted as seed to 
the ground) in corruption," not only having the principles of cor- 
ruption in its composition, and naturally tending to decay, but 
already beginning to putrify, dissolve, and turn to the dust out of 
which it was taken; "it shall be raised in incorruption," having 
ho such principle in its frame, but utterly incapable of either dis- 
solution or decay. Again; whereas "it is sown in weakness," 
deprived even of the feeble strength it once enjoyed, and now 
unable to help itself; "it is raised in power," in vigour, strength, 
and activity, far beyond what we can now conceive, one man pos- 
sessing, I will not say the power of a million, or of the whole 
human race, for what comparison can be made between mortal and 
immortal ? between dust of the earth, and flames of fire? between 
crawling insects, and spiritual beings ? — but the power of an angel 
of God. And we know how soon one angel slew in the camp of 
the Assyrians, one hundred and fourscore and five thousand men I 

1 4. He informs us further, " It is sown in dishonour," our present 
body being at the best, so unclean, so infirm, so uncomely, that 
it is (as the apostle expresses it,* the body,) tjjs TctTretvareas y^m, 
of our humiliation. For it is not an honour but a disgrace to a 
son of the Most High, an heir of the God of glory, to appear in 
such mean and mortal clothing ; and at the time of its dissolution, 
when it is sown in the earth, it is shocking to behold, even to those 
that loved it best : but, " it is raised in glory," in a glory, 
according to Daniel, like that of the brightness of the firmament, 
or of the stars, and according to our Lord, like that of the sun, 
shining in his strength. For " the righteous, (says he,) shall shine 
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." " He shall 
change our vile body," says St. Paul, the body which now r , in 
our fallen state, sinks us so low, and so shockingly displays that 
sin brings shame : he shall change this, and " make it couformable 
to his own glorious body." Of the glory of this body our Lord 
seems to have intended to give his disciples a specimen when. 



* Phil. ill. 2T. 



212 



ON THE DEATH 



being transfigured before them, " his countenance shone as the 
sun, and his raiment was white as the light;" — " white and glister- 
ing," says another evangelist ; — " shining exceeding white, as 
snow, such as no fuller upon earth can whiten," says another. 
Certainly it will be such as no mortal eye could bear to behold. 

15. One thiDg more the apostle observes, " It is sown a natural 
(or animal) body," a body of flesh and blood, gross and gravita- 
ting; breathing, eating, drinking, sleeping, and by these means 
nourished and supported like the bodies of brutes. " It is raised 
a spiritual body," of a most refined contexture, pure, subtile, and 
active as light, endued with qualities of a spiritual nature, and 
raised far above the need of these, or any such like animal refresh- 
ments. For if, " as was the earthy," the first man Adam after his 
fall, " such be they also that are earthy," that are descended from 
him ; in like manner, " as is the heavenly," the second man, the 
Lord from heaven, " such are they also that are heavenly," that 
were in him, new creatures, while on earth, and have slept in him. 
They shall be conformed to him in body, as well as in soul, and 
shall as certainly " bear the image of the heavenly" as ever 
they bore " the image of the earthly." If therefore, my bre- 
thren we are " now the sons of God," we need not be anxious or 
uneasy, though " it doth not yet fully appear what we shall be, 
for we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for 
we shall see him as he is," which, it is certain, in our present 
state, we could not bear to do. 

1 6. As to the time when this wonderful change shall be wrought, 
and the circumstances attending it, the apostle informs us, and that, 
as he says, " by the word of the Lord," by an express revelation 
from the Lord. " If we believe, (says he,) that Jesus died and 
rose again, even so those also that sleep in Jesus will God bring 
with him f that is, plainly, he will bring their souls with him, 
for as to their bodies, they, strictly speaking are not, with him 
now, but with us here on earth. But their souls or spirits being 
with him, as we have seen, from the moment of their quitting the 
body, he will bring them with him, when he returns, partly to 
grace his triumph, and partly to be again reunited to the bodies 
they had left behind, which shall now be raised, changed, and 
glorified, and made suitable habitations for them. " For, " adds he, 
" we who are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 



213 



shall not prevent," shall not be beforehand with, or enjoy any 
privilege above "those who are asleep. For the Lord himself, 
viz. Jesus, shall descend from heaven with a shout," KtXeve-^x}i 
literally a shout of triumph, or a proclamation made by a great 
multitude, probably by those " armies of heaven that follow him," 
and those " thousand thousands that minister unto him," 4t with 
the voice of the archangel," a voice so loud and tremendous, that 
it shall not only be heard by all the living, but accompanied with 
the divine power, shall, it seems, even awake the dead. The 
apostle adds, ( ' and with the trump of God,'* sounding, no doubt, 
much louder and more awfully than that which was heard by the 
camp of Israel, from mount Si?iai, when the law was given, though 
that " shook the whole mountain so that it quaked greatly, and 
all the people in the camp trembled," yea, Moses himself, accus- 
tomed as he was to the most terrible displays of the divine glory, 
confessed, " I exceedingly fear and quake." 

17. The apostle goes on, " And the dead in Christ shall rise 
first," that is, before the living are changed, springing forth out of 
their beds of dust in forms of glory, and rising up into the air in 
countless multitudes, from eveiy part of the habitable globe, yea 
in thousands and myriads from the bottom of the great deep, from 
the unseen caverns of the mighty and immense ocean. Then, in 
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last 
trump, the living shall be changed. Without any effort of theirs, 
they shall put off the mortal clothing, and shall put on the im- 
mortal; shall suddenly feel themselves transformed in all their 
powers ; changed from dull, heavy, inactive lumps of clay, to 
spiritual and immortal beings : Shall tread upon the air, shall rise 
into the skies, shall ascend and soar away with their new-raised 
friends and companions, to meet their heavenly Lord. Him they 
loved when unseen, in consideration of what they believed he had 
done and suffered for them. But now, with shouts of joy and 
triumph, they welcome his approach : for he appears the second 
time without sin to their final and everlasting salvation, and ren- 
ders himself and all his glories visible to the strong and powerful 
view of their spiritual and immortal bodies, possessed of perfect 
and unwearied vision. Being owned by him as his followers, and 
coufessed and acquitted at his judgment-seat, they are made asses- 
sors with him in judgment on evil men and angels, approving and 



214 



ON THE DEATH 



applauding the righteous sentence which will then be passed, and 
joining in the condemnation of the enemies of God and of his 
Christ. 

18. And while these shall "go away into everlasting punish- 
ment," the righteous shall be received into life, and felicity eter- 
nal. For theirs shall not be the triumph of a day, a year, ten 
thousand years, nor of any limited duration of time, however 
long : but they shall be " ever with the Lord." This will indeed 
be the consummation of their felicity, viz. the eternity of it. As it 
knows no measure, but is unbounded in degree ; so it shall know 
no period, but shall be unlimited in duration. «' He that is holy 
shall be holy still :" he that is happy shall be happy still. They 
shall go no more out of the heavenly city, the city that has the 
glory of God ; whose " windows are like a precious stone, 
clear as crystal whose " walls are jasper ;" yea, are * adorn- 
ed with all manner of precious stones ;" whose " streets are of 
pure gold, transparent as glass :" a city that has " no temple, for 
the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it ;" that 
" has no need of the sun or moon to shine in it, for the glory of 
God doth enlighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof:" A city 
therefore, where there is no night ; where there shall be no more 
curse," no sin, sorrow, nor suffering of any kind : " but the throne 
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve 
him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their 
foreheads, and they shall reign for ever and ever :" every sub- 
ject being a king, and every king a son and heir of the Most 
High : " an heir of God, and a joint heir with Jesus Christ." 

<c Oh ye blest scenes of permanent delight ! 
Full above measure! lasting- beyond bounds! 
A perpetuity of bliss, is bliss! 
Could ye, so rich in raptures, fear an end, 
That ghastly thought would drink up all your joy, 
And quite unparadise the realms of bliss !" 

19. But it may be asked, What certainty have we of all this? 
What is the foundation of our hope respecting these important par- 
ticulars ? The apostle informs us in the words of our text. '« If 
we believe (says he,) that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them 
also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." From the death 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 



215 



and resurrection of Christ, we infer the certainty of our resurrec- 
tion and immortality. For, not to mention that the immortality of 
the soul, and the resurrection of the body were, as we have seen, 
two important branches of the doctrine which he taught, and that 
his death and resurrection sealed and confirmed his doctrine, and 
demonstrated the infallible truth, as well as deep importance of 
every part of it; let it be observed, that he died and rose again, 
not merely for himself, but also and especially for us : not as an 
individual of Adam's race, but as a public person, a head and 
representative of all the faithful. He died and rose as the second 
Adam> and all mankind, particularly the righteous, died and rose 
in him. He passed through death into life as our forerunner ; as 
the first-fruits of them that slept, or should afterwards sleep in 
him; and the whole harvest of the faithful dead shall follow after; 
shall feel the virtue of his resurrection ; and be drawn by him into 
life and immortality ; yea, and the impenitent and disobedient also, 
although to them it will not be a happy, but a miserable immor- 
tality. " For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be 
made alive. 1 ' 

He, who by his death and resurrection showed himself to be the 
Prince of Lije, who when imprisoned in death, "could not be 
holden by it f who when he had voluntarily laid down his life, 
manifested that he " had power to take it again :" he who " liveth 
and was dead, and is alive for evermore, and hath the keys of 
death and of the invisible world ; — he will not only take charge 
of our departing spirits, when, like dying Stephen, we shall commit 
them to him, saying, " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit !" but he will 
also " change our vile body, and fashion it like unto his own glo- 
rious body, by the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue 
all things unto himself." 

We may join, therefore, the author last quoted, and say, 

"In his blest life 

I see the path, and in his death the pricey 
And in his great ascent the proof supreme 
Of immortality. — And did he rise ? 
Hear, O ye nations! hear it, O ye dead! 
He rose ! He rose ! He burst the bars of death ! 

Whose nature, then, 

Took wing-, and mounted with him to the skies? 



218 



0\ THE DEATH 



Then, then, I rose ; then first humanity 
Triumphant passed the chrystal ports of bliss, 
(Stupendous guest !) and seiz'd eternal youth, 
Seiz'd in our name !" 

And now, my brethren, say, if those who know and believe 
these things, have any cause to grieve immoderately on account 
of the departure of their friends, who have " slept in Jesus," and 
are gone hence to partake of this felicity and glory. 

III. This was the third particular to be considered. But having 
enlarged so much on the last head, I shall pass it over slightly. 

1. The apostle, observe, does not forbid our sorrowing, but only 
our sorrowing as " those that have no hope." And surely the 
doctrine we have this day had under consideration is well calcu- 
lated to produce that effect. It may not, indeed, entirely remove 
our sorrow : it may not make us Stoicks, or render us hard and 
unfeeling. It is not intended by the author of our nature that it 
should. He has implanted affections in us, and it is not his will 
to eradicate these affections, or to forbid their being excited at 
proper times, and in a proper measure. The man Jesus wept at 
the grave of Lazarus, and certainly was not blameable for so doing. 
" For he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." And 
now he is in heaven, he sympathizes with us, and is " touched with 
the feeling of our infirmities. 1 ' We therefore, may sorrow. Na- 
ture may shed a tear over those we love. But, in the midst of 
all, we must possess our souls in patience, and remain masters of 
our reason and of our peace, believing that God doth "all things 
well," and that " all things work for good to them that love 
God." 

2. To be a little more particular. To mourn the dead, espe- 
cially those that have died in the Lord, is not only lawful, but 
commendable. It is a duty. The not doing it is reproved by God 
himself as a sin. " The righteous perisheth, (says he,) and no 
man layeth it to heart."* And, it is threatened as a curse to 
Jehoiachim, the son of Josiah, that he should die unlamented, and 
be buried with the burial of an ass.f But we must not sorrow " as 
others, who have no hope :" we who have the Bible in our hands, 



* Isa. lvii. 1. t Jer. xxii. 18, 19. 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 



217 



and to whom " life and immortality are brought to light by the 
gospel," must not sorrow as the heathen, who beiug without the 
sacred scriptures, "without God, and without Christ, alieus from 
the comwoav.ealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of pro- 
mise," were also " without hope" as to another life, not assured 
even of the immortality of the soul, and utterly unacquainted with 
the resurrection of the body. Hence, considering their friends as 
lost, and never expecting to see them again, they sorrowed exces- 
sively, and frequently expressed their sorrow by cutting their flesh, 
makiug themselves bald, singing doleful songs, and uttering lament- 
able ejaculations, a custom which it seems, the Jews in our Lord's 
time had learned.* Now we, who are assured of the great and 
comfortable truths which have now been laid before you, must not 
sorrow in this manner, for those of our friends and relations, who, 
we have reason to believe, are gone hence to be with Jesus. 

3. Let us consider further, that whether our sorrow be on their 
account, or on our own, it is unnecessary, and indeed without rea- 
son. As to them, certainly we have no cause to sorrow exces- 
sively on their account. They are not lost themselves ; and they 
have lost nothing ; but on the contrary have gained much. Their 
souls are not lost. They committed them to Jesus, and well knew 
in whom they believed ;" and he will not fail to " keep what they 
committed unto him safe unto that day." Their bodies are not 
lost, but are entrusted, as seed to the ground, to spring up and 
flourish in new beauty, at the appointed season. No part of them 
therefore, is lost. All is safe in the divine keeping; and all shall 
be brought forth and restored with great improvement, with divine 
and infinite advantage. 

" Why then their loss deplore, that are not lost ? 
Why wanders wretched thought their tombs around, 
In in6del distress? Are angels there? 
Slumbers, rak'd up in dust, ethereal fire? 
They live ! They greatly live, a life on earth 
Unkindled, unconceiv'd ; and from an eye 
Of tenderness, let heavenly pity fall 
On us, more justly nuraber'd with the dead ! 



*. Matt. ix. 23 
D d 



218 



ON THE DEATH 



4. And as they are not lost themselves, so they have lost 
nothing. Unless it be a loss to have done with labour and toil, care 
and fear; to be freed from sin and sorrow, infirmity, pain, and 
death j — to be made healthy, vigorous, immortal j — to be permitted 
to leave the place of their exile, and return to their own country, 
city, house, and home : — to be united in a holy and happy family 
with the wise and good, gathered out of all nations and ages, the 
greatest and best of men ! — to be incorporated in a blessed and 
heavenly society with angels and archangels, yea, with Christ 
himself, and God our Father ! To have access unto him, and fel- 
lowship with him, and that not by means and ordinances, and 
through au interposing vail, as on earth, but immediately, and face 
to face! To behold his glory ! to taste his love ! to be ravished 
with his beauty ! to share his felicity, and be conformed to his 
perfections ! To call him Father, and be sensible, fully sensible of 
his paternal affection and regard, while as his sons, they surround 
his throne, and, bearing his image, exult in his favour! — If this 
be a loss, then indeed have they suffered loss : but if not, if it be 
quite the reverse, then surely instead of mourning, we have rather 
cause to rejoice in their exaltation and honour. 

5. "If ye loved me, (said Jesus,) ye would rejoice that I said, I 
go to my Father." Surely, if we loved them aright, loved them 
rationally and wisely, and did not rather, at the bottom, love our- 
selves in pretending to love them, in the midst of our sorrow we 
should even rejoice that they are gone " to their Father and our 
Father, to their God and our God;" are gone to Jesus, their elder 
Brother and Saviour, who was delivered unto death for their 
offences, and to the blessed angels of God, who, in the days of 
their flesh, ministered to them as to the heirs of salvation; are gone 
to the holy prophets and apostles of the Lamb, Avhose heavenly 
doctrine and blessed example, so often edified and quietened them, 
while they " took heed thereunto as to a light shining in a dark 
place ;" are gone to the noble army of martyrs and confessors, and 
to all " the ransomed of the Lord, returned to Zion with singing, 
and everlasting joy upon their heads !" Surely, instead of mourn- 
ing for them, we should mourn for ourselves, and say, 

51 Oh ! when will death, (now stingless) like a friend 
Admit me of their choir? O when will death, 

4 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 



219 



This mouldering, old, partition-wall thrown down. 
Give beings, one in nature, one abode? 
Oh ! death divine ! that giv'st us to the skies ! 
That re-admits't us, through the guardian hands 
Of elder brethren, to our Father's throne !" , 

a Who (said Tully, a heathen) would lament the death of a 
friend, unless he supposed him deprived of all the comforts of life, 
and sensible of the loss of them." How much more may a chris- 
tian forbear to lament the death of those who, though deprived of 
the poor, low enjoyments of this life, are so far from being sensible 
of having suffered any loss on that account, that they perceive 
themselves to be infinite gainers, and are in possession of a felicity 
aud glory that knows neither measure nor end. 

6. Instead, therefore, of grieving immoderately that our friends 
have entered into rest before us, and gained the blessed port which 
we toil hard to find, let us rather, out of love to them, rejoice that 
they at least are safe landed. And though we, their companions, 
are left behind, let us take comfort in considering it is but for a 
little while. The time is fast approaching when we too shall make 
the land. While the prosperous gales of divine grace arising 
swell our sails, and waft our vessel towards the shore, the tide of 
some returning affliction will flow, and convey it into the heavenly 
harbour. Then our friends that went before shall rejoice to see us 
arrive safe, and crowd to bid us welcome. And we, I doubt not, 
shall have the comfort of finding many escaped thither under the 
direction of their invisible Captain and Pilot, concerning whom we 
had entertained a thousand distressing fears, lest, during the storm 
and tempest, they had suffered shipwreck, and been lost amidst 
the raging billows. And oh ! what a meeting shall that be ! What 
mutual joy and congratulations, increased and heightened by the 
great and threatening dangers the parties had passed through, and 
the narrow escapes they had had. — Let us look forward to the 
happy time. Let us comfort our hearts with the prospect of it, 
amidst the winds and waves of this troublesome world. Let us 
entreat our Pilot to stay with us, and take the charge of our valu- 
able vessel, richly laden with the immense treasure of an immortal 
soul, but very liable to be run aground upon the sand-banks of this 
world, to be dashed against the rocks of pride, or even swallowed 
up in the whirlpools of pleasure. Let us spread the sails of our 



220 



ON THE DEATH 



affections to catch the gales of those heavenly influences that arise 
to waft us to the promised land. And let us set faith at the helm, 
and charge it to eye the compass of the divine word, graciously 
given to be our directorj during our voyage through the trackless 
ocean. And when the wind of temptation blows hard against us, 
and the waves of our corrupt inclinations and passions, rising, would 
bear us back, let us cast the anchor of our hope within the vail, 
and wait the moment of a favourable change. That moment will 
soon arrive. The wind will be fair, and the tide rise. The hea- 
venly country will appear in sight. We shall descry its towers at 
a distance. The glittering spires of the New Jerusalem will attract 
our attention. The peaceful haven will open before us, and we 
shall enter, full sail, the long expected and much desired port of 
eternal rest. 

" There all the ship's company meet, 

Who sail'd with their Saviour beneath ; 
With shoutings each other they greet, 

And triumph o'er trouble and death : 
The voyage of life's at an end ; 

The mortal affliction is past ! 
The age, that in heaven they spend, 

For ever and ever shall last." 

7. But while I thus encourage your hopes, with respect to 
your-elves and your departed friends, and exhort you to go for- 
ward with alacrity and joy to meet your final foe, and join again 
the dear companions of your life, in company with whom you en- 
dured so many hardships, and weathered out so many storms ; let 
me not ueglect to give you one caution. Let me not forget to re- 
mind you that your success in the arduous contest depends on 
your being in Christ, on your living and dying in him. Thus 
only can you hope to meet death with comfort. " There is no 
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus :" whereas, with 
regard to those that are not in him, they are not only in the 
way to meet with condemnation after death, and at the final 
Judgment, but they «< are condemned already, and the wrath of 
God abideth on them." See therefore, ihat in the first place you 
ensure this point; that by repentance toivards God and faith in 
our Isord Jesus Christ, you obtain that interest in, and union with } 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 



221 



the Lord Jesus, which only can disarm death of his sting, and 
devest him of his terrors ; and, therefore, which only can free 
you from the fear of that formidable foe, and give you confidence 
and courage at the appointed hour of combat. 

" Still frowns grim death? Guilt points the tyrant's spear. 
Who can appease its anguish? how it burns ! 
What hand the barb'd, envenom'd dart can draw? 
What healing hand can pour the balm of peace ? 
And turn my sight undauuted on the tomb ? 
With joy, with grief, that healing hand I see ! 
The skies it form'd : and yet it bleeds for me ! 
But bleeds the balm I want ! Yet, still it bleeds!" 

This balm must be applied : the hand that yields it, must apply it, 
and, by applying it, heal the wounded mind, and give peace to 
the labouring conscience. This the great and good Physician of 
souls is as willing as he is able to do. For " inasmuch as we are 
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the 
same, that through death he might destroy him that had the 
power of death, and deliver those, who through fear of death 
were all their life-time subject to bondage." " Come then unto 
him, ye that are weary and heavy laden, and he will give you 
rest : and, be assured, " Whosoever cometh, he will in nowise 
cast out." 

8. And that there may be no delay in beginning, nor indolence 
in prosecuting this important business, let me observe further, that 
if those who are " in Christ new creatures," have nothing to fear, 
but every thing to hope, from the approaching hour of their disso- 
lution ; those who are not in him, have every thing to fear, and 
nothing to hope. They have to fear that their souls shall not die, 
but be immortal in misery; that their bodies shall be raised again, 
to share in the torment; — that they shall meet their companions in 
siu; a dreadful meeting that indeed ! — that they shall appear 
and be condemned at the judgment-seat of Christ ; that they shall 
be for ever with — whom shall I say ? Jesus and his angels ? no, 
but with Satan and his angels ! And have they not sometimes 
an anticipation as well as foresight of this ? I rather think they 
have : and that if 



222 



ON THE DEATH 



" The chamber where the good man meets his fate. 
Is privileged beyond the common walk 
Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of heaven, 1 ' 

the dying apartment of the ungodly is often in the very suburbs of 
hell. I fear the following lines of that fine though mournful poem, 
styled, The Grave, are but too descriptive of what is frequently 
felt on these occasions : — 

* 

* At that dread moment, how the frantic soul 
Raves round the walls of her clay tenement ! 
Runs to each avenue, and shrieks for help ; 

But shrieks in vain ! 

A little longer ! ah ! a little longer, 
Might she but stay to wash away her crimes, 
And fit her for her passage! Moving sight ! 
Her very eyes weep blood, and every sigh 
She heaves, is big with horror ! but the foe, 
Like a stanch murderer, steady to his purpose,, 
Pursues her close through every lane of life, 
Nor misses once the track, but presses on 
Till forc'd at last to the tremendous verge, 
At once she sinks !" 

That this may not be your case, my brethren, do not trifle with 
an affair of such consequence. See that you make it, what it 
really is, your chief concern, your principal business to be the 
Lord's, and to live to him ! And take heed that you do not delay 
one day, one hour. Oh ! remember you know not what a day, or 
hour may bring forth. " To-day, therefore, while it is called to- 
day, if ye will hear his voice," if ye ever intend to hear it, 
" harden not your hearts :" but " Acquaint yourselves with him, 
and be at peace : Thereby good will come unto you f and how 
great a good eternity only can disclose ! 

That our sister, whose unexpected death has given occasion 
to this discourse, already enjoys a portion of that good, we have 
great reason to believe. As you will naturally expect me to give 
you some account of her before I conclude, I submit the following 
brief Narrative to your consideration, which I have drawn up 
from the best information I could obtain* 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 



223 



Mrs. Foster was the daughter of the late Mr. John Booth, of 
Manchester, by his first wife, who died a few mouths after she 
was born. Her father being a dissenter, brought her up in the 
Calvinist profession, and gave her a genteel education at a board- 
ing-school, in Chester. After she left school, she was introduced 
into gay company, and indulged in all the vanities of high life ; 
till her father, who was a merchant, experiencing some considera- 
ble losses in his business, became insolvent. She then went to 
live with a distant relation near Leeds, and soon after put herself 
apprentice to a milliner in that town. Here she had cause to bless 
God for bringing her acquaiuted with some of the people called 
Methodists, whose example, conversation, and prayers, were made 
of great use to her soul. One that w as then very intimate with her, 

Miss CI , observes, 

2. " I had the pleasure of being acquainted with Mrs. Foster 
from her first corning to Leeds, which was about the middle of 
April, 1782. Though she was then a stranger to the real power 
of religion, she differed much from the generality of young per- 
sons. Being brought up a dissenter she diligently attended their 
meetings, and I believe, made conscience of using private prayer, 
twice a day at least. In the beginning of June, she went one Sun- 
day evening to hear Mr. Mather, at the Methodist preaching- 
house, and was much struck with his sermon. Afterwards she 

went along with me to a prayer-meeting, which Mrs. Cr , and 

my mother attended at a friend's house, where she was very deeply 
affected indeed. I remember her saying to me as we came out, 
1 Oh! my friend, I would give all the world, if I had it, to possess 
what your mother possesses,' and added, 'I have always thought 
! myself a christian till now, and have imagined that I had a good 
| heart, but am now convinced I have been deceived.' When she 
! came home she retired, and taking up the Bible, opened it at 
the following words, Of a truth I perceive God is no respecter of 
persons. This text was a great support to her all the time she 
j was seeking the divine favour, which was about three months. 
During this period she suffered much, both from within and from 
without. Sometimes indeed her mind was sweetly drawn after 
God and much encouraged, but in general her distress was very 
great. Tuesday the 16th of August, Mrs. Cr— took her and 
me to a meetinjr, where a few select friends assembled once a 



224 



ON THE DEATH 



fortnight io spend an hour or two in prayer. Here the agony of 
her soul quite overpowered her bodily strength. Several persons 
prayed for her, and at length she was a little comforted. She 
was prevailed upon to go with me to a friend's house where we 
spent the greatest part of the night in prayer and praise. She felt 
a real change take place in her soul, but wanted the witness of the 
Spirit that she was a child of God. And, blessed be the Lord, 
she did not wait long for it. The next evening, as Mr. Hopper 
was preaching from, — f My son, give me thy heart,' she was 
enabled to make the surrender, and those words, ' I have called 
thee by thy name, thou art mine,' were strongly applied to her 
mind. She could now with confidence cry, Abba Father! My 
Lord, and my God! And the Sunday following at a meeting, at 
Seacrqft, she declared openly what God had done for her soul. 

" Her outward situation exposed her to many painful exercises, 
but they had the blessed tendency of driving her nearer to the 
Lord. And he was so peculiarly gracious to her, that in the 
midst of many and great hindrances, she was enabled to press for- 
ward, and, I believe, desired nothing in comparison of being devo- 
ted to God. This appears from a letter she wrote me December 
3, 1783, part of which is as follows. 'After all the Lord has 
done for me, I still feel an evil heart of unbelief. I have been 
much tempted this week to fear that I have deceived myself, but 

have been relieved by conversing freely with Mrs, Or she put 

Mr. Wesley's Treatise on Christian Perfection into my hand; and 
the more I read it, the more I am convinced that the will of God 
is my sanctification ; and by his grace I am determioed^never to 
rest till all that is within me is holiness to the Lord? " 

3. To this account given by her friend, I would add, that about 
this time, as I am informed by another who knew her well, she 
not only generally walked in the light of God's countenance, but 
was frequently so happy in the love of her adorable Saviour, as 
not to be able to sleep at night for the consolation she felt in her 
soul. She was a pattern of diligence; in using all the means of j 
grace, both private and public, frequently attending the preaching 
of the word, even at five o'clock in the morning, delicate, and 
often unwell as she was; and making it her daily care to read the 
scriptures, and call upon the name of the Lord in secret. 



i 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 225 

4. About a quarter of a year after her marriage with Mr. Fos- 
ter, (which was in the year 1784,) she had a miscarriage, aod was 
so ill that her life was despaired of. During these weeks of con- 
finement, when she had no prospect before her but of immediate 
death, she was not only perfectly resigned to the divine will, but 
could frequently rejoice in hope of his glory, persuaded if the 
Lord should take her it would be to himself. All her concern was, 
that her husband might be enabled to receive the severe stroke 
without murmuring, and to support the trial with faith and patience 
worthy of a christian. In order to this, she desired a serious 
friend who visited her, to apprize him of the dangerous situation 
she was in, and to endeavour to prepare him for the approaching 
shock. However, it pleased God, at that time, to disappoint their 
fears, and spare her life. 

5. During her pregnancy of her first child, she was very appre- 
hensive she should die in child-bearing, and under that impressioD, 
which increased as the time of her travail drew nearer, she wrote 
a paper which her husband found in a private drawer the April 
following, and which 1 shall subjoin to this account. However, in 
this instance also, the Lord was pleased to disappoint her. She 
was safely delivered, December 9, 17 85, and soon restored; and 
bore her husband three more children, the two elder of which, as 
well as the first-born, are still alive. 

6. In 1786, they removed to this town. How her soul pros- 
pered, and how she conducted herself since that time, many of you 
know. I believe she was serious, watchful, and exemplary. I 
have been acquainted with her about a year, and during that time 
have conversed with her frequently. I have seen little either in 
her temper or conduct to blame, but much to commend ; particu- 
larly her humility, meeknes?, and patience, under many and great 
trials; her industry, frugality, and diligent attention to her family 
aftairs : her very kind, courteous, and obliging behaviour to all 
that came near her, of which all you that knew her will bear wit- 
ness. She endeavoured to set the Lord before her, and behave as 
one that was couscious his eye was upon her, being circumspect ia 
all things, and desirous of improving conversation to the best of 
purposes. She attended the ministry of the word, particularly on 
the Lord's day, more frequently than her strength would well per- 
mit, one of the Chapels which she attended, being little less than 

E e 



226 



ON THE DEATH 



a mile from their house. In this perhaps she went to an extreme : 
* but having, I believe, chiefly through the very weak and nervous 

state of her body, fallen into doubts as to her acceptance with God, 
she was very desirous of recovering the light of his countenance, ' 
which induced her sometimes to go, perhaps, beyond her strength. 
I hope she did recover it before she departed. But of this she 
was not permitted to give auy verbal evidence. Indeed, what 
could one reasonably expect of this kind from a woman in the I 
pangs of child-bearing, and whose labour, like Rachels of old, 
was very hard. 

7. The same thought that she should die, which had followed 
her when pregnant of her first child, and indeed, I believe, of her 
other children, was, during this last pregnancy, much more power- 
fully impressed upon her mind. She told her husband and several 
of her friends, that she should certainly die as soon as she was 
delivered. But, though appearances, from her delicate frame and 
poor state of health, were unfavourable, they were willing to hope 
she would be brought safe through as she had been before. How- 
ever, the Lord, who very probably had sent that impression as a 
previous warning, saw fit to appoint otherwise. She was with 
some difficulty delivered, and soon after expired. The child also, 
though I am informed born alive, died immediately. The paper I 
mentioned is as follows, and though written, as I said, in November, 
1785, may be considered, I think, as speaking her dying language. 

8. " My dearest love, for whose sake alone I desire to live, 
trusting if the Lord have other ends in view, he Will prepare me 
before he take me hence, I hope you will not fail to perform the 
last will of one that loves you better than life itself. Look at this, 
when I am removed from you. But let not your heart be troubled. 
Trust and believe in him who is able to help you, and will stand 
by you in every time of trial. — If he take me from you, he does 
it for jour good. Come to the Lord, and lie at his feet, and say 9 
Lord, do with me as seemeth good in thy sight ; only keep me from 
murmuring. You know what a hindrance I have been to you in 
the heavenly race. The Lord lies removed me that you may trust 
in him alo: e, and serve him with ail your h?art. He will not 
admit of a rival. He has permitted us to be happily united for 
one year: but oh! what poor returns have we made! How 
unfaithful have we been to the grace bf stowed ! 



OF MRS. FOSTER. 



227 



" But let me beg of my dearest not to look back; but press for- 
ward for the prize of eternal rest. If those in another world can 
grieve, surely I shall grieve to see you loitering and mourning. 
But why should you be distressed, perhaps the Lord will commis- 
sion me to be as one of your guardian angels, to attend you by day, 
and watch your bed by night, that no evil may befall you. And if 
I shall then be capable of choosing one employment in preference 
to another surely I shall choose that which has the nearest relation 
to one that w as all that was dear to me below. 

" I will lay no commands upon you that shall be grievous to you. 
I do not wish you not to marry again. Only be careful in the 
choice of a wife. Let her be joined to Christ before she be join d 
to you. Be strict in family-duty : let nothing hinder that. For 
the neglect of that duty brings deadness and barrenness upon the 
soul. Be earnest with the Lord in private, that he may bless you 
both, with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Be not con- 
formed to this world, neither in dress nor conversation, for both 
work death. 

" If I leave you a dear pledge of love, let it be boarded at Bar- 
field, with my dear father and mother. Save all my clothes for it, 
and every thing that belongs to me. Pretty lamb! My heart 
bleeds for it and you ! Methinks, I see you look at our offspring, 
and think of your Polly! O for resignation! — Let my remains be 
laid where you intend to lie. Let our ashes be united, that we 
may rise together at the day of judgment. For though there shall 
be neither marrying nor giving in marriage in that day, yet we 
shall know each other, and shall rejoice to meet again, where part- 
ing shall be no more, but all shall be perfect happiness to all eter- 
nity ! 

"If my dear, very dear husband feel, when reading this, what 
I felt when writing it, he will know what comfort there is in grief 
what pleasure in mourning ! For my heart pants for you ! strug- 
gles to get free from creature-love ! flies back to your bosom ! I 
fancy my arms around your neck : my love bathed in tears : — but 
at last both forced to submit ! I lie pale ! My love, mourning, 
kisses my clay-cold cheek ; presses my hand ; bids me speak one 
more farewell word ; but all in vain ! His Polly's breath is resigned 
to God who gave it ! His heart is ready to burst. He looks for a 
comforter : but she who used to comfort him in time of trouble, is 



228 



ON THE DEATH, &c. 



do more ! — Therefore, flee for refuge to Christ the Lord, the only 
help in trouble. He will support you. * I know he will. I know 
he loves you with an everlasting love ; and though all earthly com- 
forts fail, the Lord is your portion ! How good he is, in that he 
takes me first. For I could not support the loss of my dear hus- 
band. How often has my heart bled for fear of your leaving me. 
But the Lord is love itself, therefore we will unite to praise him to 
all eternity. 

MARY FOSTER." 



SERMON XII, 



ON THE 

NATURE AND EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION, 



May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly : and I pray God 
your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless 
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that 
calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thess. v. 23, 24. 

h Sanctification is much spoken of, and strongly incul- 
cated throughout the sacred scriptures. Its nature is there descri- 
bed, and its absolute necessity and great excellency pointed out in 
various forms of expression. " This is the will of God, (says St. 
Paul,*) even your sanctification ;" and his will, we know, is of in- 
dispensable obligation upon all his creatures ; to comply with it, and 
be made conformable to it, is at once our duty and our happiness. 
" Ye are chosen to salvation " that is, happiness in heaven, (says he 
agaiu,f) " through sanctification of the Spirit." Salvation is the 
end, sanctification the way ; a way in which all must walk who 
would arrive at that desirable end. For, says the same apostle, 
" Without holiness, (uytccrpos, sanctification,) no man shall see 

* 1 Thess. iv. 3. f 2 Thess, ii. 13. 



23G 



THE NATURE AND 



the Lord." Whatever a man attains, if he attain not this, he shali 
be excluded the presence, and denied the blissful vision of God ; 
he shall be shut out of heaven, and thrust down to hell. On the 
contrary, the sanctified, the " pure in heart, 1 ' stand entitled to the 
inheritance above, as St. Paul declares,* and as the faithful and 
true Witness testifies,! " shall see God," shall know and enjoy him 
for ever. 

2. So great is the necessity and excellency of sanctificatioQ, that 
it is the grand end God has in view in all the dispensations of his 
providence and grace to the children of men. " Christ gave himself 
for his church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it : He suffered 
without the camp, that he might sanctify the people by his own 
blood." The Spirit of God is termed the Holy Spirit, and the 
Spirit of holiness ; not only because he is holy in himself, but also 
because it is his office to sanctify and make us holy : and God 
" chastens us for our profit, that we may be made partakers of his 
holiness." Yea, and in every dispensation towards us, whether 
pleasing or painful, God has this same end in view, for " his divine 
power has given us all things that pertain unto life and unto godli- 
ness," as well as those exceeding great and precious promises" 
whereby these blessings are made over to us, " that we may be 
made partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption 
that is in the world." 

3. Hence it is that much hath been said of sanctification in every 
age since Christianity was first established in the world until now. 
It has appeared to be of such great importance, that many who 
have had the glory of God and the good of mankind at heart, have 
written upon the subject, and not a few of these admirably well. 
Many excellent things have been advanced upon this point both 
by ancient and modern authors ; by our own countrymen and by 
strangers. And it is a doctrine concerning which there has been 
but little dispute, unless in our own age, an age fruitful of contro- 
versies of all kinds. And probably it would have been less disputed 
even now r , had the scriptures been more attentively and carefully 
consulted on the head. But be that as it will, as the subject is 
by no means exhausted, and as the scriptures only can make us 
wise unto salvation, whatever others do, let us consider them dill* 



* Acts xxvi. IS. 



f Matt. v. & 



EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION, 



231 



gently upon all poiuts of doctrine, and especially upon this, so 
manifestly of the greatest consequence. Having then seen the 
importance of sanctification, proceed we now to consider, 

1st. Its nature and extent. And, 

2dly. How Ave may attain it. 

And, 1 st. Let us consider the nature and extent of sanctification. 

t. Sanctification is often ascribed in the Old Testament to 
things without life. In the books of Moses, the tabernacle, altar, 
laver of brass, the priests' garments, and various other things used 
in the Israelitish worship, are said to be sanctified. So afterwards, 
in the historical books, the temple and the various utensils in the 
temple-service are said to be sanctified. Now all that can be 
meant by that expression thus applied, is, that they were separated 
from common and profane use, and dedicated to the immediate wor- 
ship and service of God. And indeed this seems to be the pri- 
mary and original meaning both of the Hebrew word, ur\p, in the 
Old Testament; and of the Greek word, ayietfr, in the New, 
translated to sanctify : They both signify to separate and to dedi- 
cate, devote, or consecrate. Thus the whole body of priests were 
sanctified in a ceremonial manner, they were separated from com- 
mon and civil employments, and consecrated to the service of God 
in his sanctuary. 

2. This observation may give us light respecting the nature of 
our sanctification. It also implies a separation and dedication, not 
indeed, ceremonial and figurative, but real : a real separation from 
sin and the service thereof, and a dedication to God and his ser- 
vice. Accordingly, it is said, Christ "gave himself for us, that lie 
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify us to himself a pecu- 
liar people," a people consecrated entirely to him ; and " he died 
for all, that they who live," who are quickened by his death, 
** might not henceforth," from the time they are quickened, "live 
unto themselves, but unto him that died for them and rose again." 
Passages of scripture these, which point out unto us very clearly 
the nature of that sanctification, which we have already seen to be 
the grand end of the death of Christ. 



232 



THE NATURE AND 



3. But this matter will be still better understood by considering 
the words of our text : " May the very God of peace sanctify you 
wholly, <»Aa/fA£/$. The word is of very extensive meaning, and 
signifies "every part, and every part perfectly." And what we 
are to understand by every part, we learn from the following 
clause: "And may the whole of you, (ccXok^ov v^m, all that 
belongs to you,) the spirit, the soul, and the body, be preserved 
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." This is an 
exact translation of the words, and it appears therefrom that the 
apostle in this passage, considers man as divided into three parts, 
which he very expressly and particularly enumerates, the spirit, 
the soul, and the body, prefixing the article to each. 

4. I am well aware that some persons, eminent for learning and 
piety, consider this text in a somewhat different light. They sup- 
pose that by the word spirit, the Apostle means their spiritual 
estate, viz. the Spirit of God, with his various graces, wishing that 
it might be preserved to them whole and entire : that by the other 
two phrases, soul and body (which they say make up the whole 
man) he means their natural estate, wishing it also might be preser- 
ved blameless. They argue, that man cannot consist of three parts, 
appears hence, '• the soul is either matler or not matter, there is no 
medium : But if it be matter, it is part of the body ; if not matter, 
it coincides with the spirit." (See Bengelius and Wesley's Notes.) 
This reasoning is perhaps very just ,* it is possibly more philoso- 
phical to consider man as consisting only of a material and immate- 
rial part. But then, is it certain that St. Paul spoke with philoso- 
phical exactness here ? Is it not rather probable that he alluded 
to the then prevailing opinions, and followed the Greek writers, 
who, it is certain, frequently consider man as composed of three 
parts, spirit, soul, and body. This he might do without any inten- 
tion of teaching us the niceties of philosophy, and merely that he 
might express the matter he had in hand more strongly, leaving 
points of mere speculation just as he found them; even as we, who 
firmly believe that man consists only of two parts, do nevertheless 
frequently pray that cur body, soul, and spirit may be consecrated 
to God, by which form of expression we would only be understood 
to mean ail that belongs to us, all our powers and faculties of soul 
and body. Be this as it will; in this light I beg leave to tinder- 
stand the Apostle, as meaning, by these different phrases, to signify 



EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION 



233 



that every part of us, all our faculties, and all our members, 
must be sanctified and devoted wholly to God; a doctrine 
which, it will be readily allowed, the whole scripture inculcates 
upon us. 

5. By the (to wev/u,*,) Spirit, I would, with the Greek writers, 
understand the superior faculties of the mind, such as the under' 
standing, will, conscience, and memory, which are purely Spiritual, 
and exist (no doubt) in the blessed aogels, and in the spirits of just 
men made perfect. By the (j» 4 /V ^) soul, I mean the inferior 
faculties, the passions and appetites, which it seems we have in 
common with the beasts that perish, only more refined. And by 
the body, I intend all that is material. Now let us briefly consider 
how each of these is to be sanctified. 

And, 1st, The spirit, including the understanding, will, conscience, 
and memory. By the understanding, I here mean, that faculty 
whereby we apprehend, consider, judge, and reason. Now expe- 
rience and scripture agree to inform us, that this stands in great 
need of sanctification, for it is naturally overspread with gross 
darkness, and employed as an instrument of iniquity. <£ Darkness 
covers the earth " says the prophet, " and gross darkness the 
people." All mankind, by nature, like the Ephesians, are " aliena- 
ted from the life of God, through the iguorarice that is in them 
and hence the apostle affirms, " there is none that understandeth. 
there is none that seeketh after God." This is true of the Jews and 
Gentiles, who are one and all become " vain in their imaginations, 
and their foolish, otrvve]o<;, undiscerniog, heart is darkened." We 
are therefore grossly ignorant of what it most concerns us to know : 
what we are, whence we came, and whither we are going : What 
the world is in which we live, and whether we are to live in ano- 
ther : if so, how we may ensure happiness there, and how get rid of 
our present misery : who is the author of our being, what he is in 
himself, and what he is to us : what obligations we are under to 
him, and how we may fulfil these obligations : the value of his 
favour, and how we may attain it. Plain it is, the heathen in 
general could never come to any certainty in these respects; and 
if we are not so dark as they, we owe it to the oracles of God. 
But the truth is, though by the scriptures we have some speculative 
knowledge in these points, yet our knowledge has no proper 
influence upon us while destitute of the illumination of the Holy 

F f 



234 



THE NATURE ANB 



Ghost, but we are practically as ignorant as they, as far from all 
saving knowledge in things spiritual and divine. 

7. But by sanctification, a manifest alteration is made. The 
understanding is then freed from its natural darkness in the things 
of God, and is enlightened by divine truth, to receive whose cheer- 
ing beams it now dedicates its powers. Hereby we attain that 
knowledge, which before we had no conception of, nor desire after. 
Spiritual things appear to us in a new light, and we judge of them 
m a new manner. We have neither that aversion to consider, nor 
that inability to understand them which we before laboured under ; 
but we think of them with delight, and apprehend them with 
readiness. Hence we become savingly acquainted with them. 
" We know the truth, and the truth makes us free." " The gospel 
comes to us, not in word only, but also in power :" being " turned 
from darkness to light," and disposed to receive more and more 
light continually, we are also turned " from the power of Satan unto 
God." In other words, the light communicated to our understand- 
ing influences our will, and brings it into subjection to the holy will 
of God, whom we serve as well as know, and whose service we 
find to be perfect freedom. This leads me to observe, 2ndly, that, 

8. From the darkness of the understanding arises the perverse- 
ness of the will, which in our unholy state of nature opposes the 
holy will of God. Not discerning the vanity of the world, its unsa- 
tisfactory nature, and short duration, we choose it for our portion, 
and foolishly seek our happiness in it. Not knowing the all-suffi- 
ciency of God, and his willingness to afford us solid and lasting 
comfort in his favour and presence, we shun his ways, and decline 
all fellowship with him. Not seeing the sinfulness of sin, and its 
destructive consequences, we do not loathe and abhor it, but roll it 
under our tongue as a sweet morsel, and are prone to commit it, as 
the sparks to fly upwards. To holiness we have a strange aversion, 
arising from our ignorance of its excellent nature and blessed conse- 
quences. God's commandments we refuse to obey; they are 
grievous to us, because we understand not their reasonableness 
and happy tendency. To his dispensations we will not submit, not 
knowing that they are directed by infinite wisdom and almighty 
love, and assuredly work for good to them that love God. Now 
this perverse will is that <ppov^x cecpzog, " that carnal mind, which 
is enmity against God, which is not subject to the law of God, 



EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION. 



235 



aeither indeed can be," under the dominion of which, whosoever is, 
<'he cannot please God." 

9. But by the sanctification of the will, following the sanctifica- 
tion of the understanding, a glorious change is wrought. For being 
enlightened with the knowledge of God, we are no longer averse to 
his service, but consider it at once our duty and happiness to love 
him, and live to his glory. The vail which covered the world and 
concealed its vanity being withdrawn, we turn our backs upon it, 
and, astonished at our former folly, cry out, " what have I to do 
any more with idols?" and affirm, concerning the creatures, 
" Miserable comforters are ye all." Sin appears in all its deformi- 
ty, accompanied with a long train of miseries, and we flee from its 
pernicious touch, and " abhor the garment spotted by the flesh." 
Holiness shines forth in all its lustre and beauty, and we embrace it 
with our whole soul. We have respect to all God's commandments, 
and delight to fulfil them, convinced they are " true and righteous 
altogether, more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold ; 
sweeter than honey and the honey-comb ; and moreover, that in 
keeping of them there is great reward." We acquiesce in all the 
dispensations of his providence, and with sweet complacency and 
delight acknowledge, * { good is the will of the Lord." How many 
soever our disappointments, losses, and sufferings are, still we say, 
41 not my will but thine be done. Be it unto me even as thou wilt" 

u We see the band, we worship and adore. 
And justify the all-disposing power." 

10. In the sanctification of the Spirit, I suppose, is included 1 
3dly, that of the conscience; which has as much need of being 
Tenewed as our other powers, it being equally depraved with 
them. For it is naturally blinded and mistaken, hardened and 
insensible. Unacquainted with the will of God, it does not give 
us due information concerning it, but erroneously approves where 
it should condemn, and condemns where it should approve. It 
gives an uncertain sound ; who then can prepare himself for 
obedience ? Nay, too often it gives no sound at all, but suffers us 
to go on quietly in the way of our heart, and to walk after the 
desire of our eyes. It is its duty indeed, like a faithful watch- 
man, to warn us of approaching danger, and advertise us of the 



236 



THE NATURE AND 



advances of our enemies. But alas ! intoxicated with the stupi- 
fying potions of sin, 

"It sleeps 

On rose and myrtle, lull'd with syren song." 

Our threefold enemy assaults, prevails, and conquers ; we are j 
wounded, mangled, and slain ; but still conscience gives no alarm, 
still we are insensible of our misery. We are, as the apostle ex- 
pressed it, *7rjjAy7f*fl7f$, past feeling. Temptation hurries us hither 
and thither at pleasure, we drive furiously in the way of sin, and 
(if divine grace prevent not) we never stop, till down the preci- 
pice of death we rush into the dreadful lake, where conscience 
awakes into " a worm that dieth not, and where the fire is not 
quenched." 

11. This would be the case with all mankind were it not for the ' 
grace of God. This makes the difference wherever it is. But, 
suppose through the influence of that grace, operating different 
ways, our conscience is awakened from its sleep, and roused from 
its lethargy ; suppose, further, it is no longer erroneous, but 
rightly informed concerning the will of God, yet still it is not j 
sanctified till it be sprinkled with the blood of Christ, but is what 
the apostle calls an evil conscience, stained and polluted with sin 
and guilt. Such was David's conscience when he said, " Innu- 
merable evils compass me about, mine iniquities have taken such* 
hold upon me, that I cannot look up, therefore my heart faileth 
me." " My wounds stink and are corrupt through my foolish- ■ 
ness." Such was the conscience of the publican, when he prayed, 
"God be merciful tome a sinner." Such that of the jailor, when 
he " came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas," and 
asked, " Sirs, what must I do to be saved ?" And such the con- 
sciences of the three thousand, converted on the day of pentecost, 
when being " pricked to the heart, they cried out, Men and 
brethren, what shall we do ?" 

12. Now the sanctification of the conscience, implies an acquit- 
tance from guilt, a freedom from condemnation, or the remission of 
sins, and acceptance with God ; in consequence of which we are 
now no longer obnoxious to God's wrath, and liable to everlasting 
punishment, but being possessed of his favour, are entitled to etei% 



EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION. 



23? 



nal life. That our conscience may be thus sanctified, it is abso- 
lutely necessary, 1st, That we should be in Christ by faith, and 
have an interest in his sufferings. For it is the blood of Christ 
alone which cleanseth from the guilt of sin, and it is only to those 
that " are in him that there is no condemnation." And then, 2dly, 
that we may continue in this state of reconciliation with God, it 
is further necessary that we " walk not after the flesh, but after 
the spirit,* that we walk in all God's ordinances and command- 
ments blameless." For if we would " rejoice in the testimony of 
our conscience," we must i( have our conversation in the world in 
simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the 
grace of God." Thus only can we have a conscience " void of 
offence towards God and man." 

13. It is easy to see, that in what I have now said respecting 
the conscience, I include all that is generally understood by Justi- 
fication, which is the name whereby this work is commonly called, 
both in the scriptures and in the writings of the most eminent 
divines. I have only to add, when this inestimable blessing is 
conferred upon us, and we " have peace with God through our 
Lord Jesus Christ ;" when we " taste that the Lord is gracious," 
and can apply to ourselves the following words with confidence, 

" O love, thou bottomless abyss! 
My sins are sAvallowed up in thee! 
Cover' d is mine unrighteousness, 
Nor spot of guilt remains in me ! 
While Jesu's blood through earth and skies, 
Mercy, free, boundless mercy cries ! 

Then let us dedicate our conscience to the Lord, that being guided 
by his word and Spirit, it may direct us in the way of duty, and 
warn us of the danger .we are in from the assaults of our spiritual 
enemies ; and thus will it be properly sanctified and employed 
according to the will of him, who sent that guardian angel to con- 
duct us through the snares of this world to his heavenly kingdom. 

1 4. Once more on this head : The memory must be sanctified. 
So we call that wonderful power God hath bestowed upon us, of 
^calling former ideas and recollecting past events. This faculty, 



* Rom. viii, Ji 



238 



THE NATURE AND 



though strangely weakened and corrupted by the fall, still retain* 
a surprising degree of strength and vigour in some; all ages 
having produced individuals whose power of recollection has been 
amazing. But with the generality the case is different : their 
memories are exceedingly treacherous : which by no means proves 
that their souls have sustained more moral injury by sin than others, 
but only that their bodies are less perfect : for it is well known 
that the memory depends on the brain, and is stronger or weaker, 
as the modification of that organ is more or less calculated for 
exerting this function! But, be it strong or weak, it is certainly, 
like our other powers, greatly corrupted in all. Instead of being, 
as was originally intended, a well-ordered repository of divine 
truths and useful remarks, drawn from experience and observation, 
it is become a mere sink of sin, or a lumber-room of impertinence 
and folly. We commonly remember best what it would be well 
to forget, and forget what we ought to remember. Our minds, 
like a leaky vessel, readily let out the pure water of life, while 
they seldom fail to retain the filth of sin, and dregs of vanity. 
What is pious and useful makes but a very faint impression, and 
is therefore soon forgot, whereas what is impure and prejudicial, 
being agreeable to our carnal hearts, sinks deep and remains 
long. 

15. But the case is quite altered when the memory is sanctified. 
Then the things of God, appearing to the mind in all their import- 
ance, make a deep and lasting impression upon us : whereas earthly 
and temporal things, the vanity and short duration of which the 
understanding discovers, do not much affect us, and therefore are 
not remembered. Thus the memory is weakened with regard to 
those tilings which are trifling and hurtful, and strengthened with 
regard to those which are important and useful. Or rather, it 
casts away the former as unworthy of a place in such a sacred 
repository, and retains the latter, as things that deserve to be locked 
up in the cabinet of the heart. The understanding, the leading 
faculty, being enlightened, and the will rendered obedient to its 
dictates, the memory is only entrusted with what is useful and 
excellent, to which it is more at liberty to attend, and will keep 
with greater faithfulness, being freed from the care of that useless 
lumber, which before distracted and overcharged it. Add to this, 
that "the Spirit helps our weak infirmities," and brings to our 



EXTENT OF SAN CTI CATION. 



23§ 



remembrance the things we have seen and heard, and that at the 
very time when it is most needful. In this way is the damage our 
memory hath sustained by the fall much repaired. However, as 
it depends so much (as has been said) on a bodily organ, it cannot 
be supposed it will be restored to its original state, till the body 
itself is created anew by a glorious resurrection. Then, and not 
before, shall we be freed from this and every other infirmity. 

16. In the meantime, be the memory strong or weak, it may be 
sanctified, and no longer employed as an instrument of unrighteous- 
ness unto sin, but devoted to the iionour and service of God. 
Instead of serving the designs of Satan, and ministering to our 
guilt and miseiy, by supplying fuel to our pride, resentment, and 
lust ; it may serve the purpose of God's glory, and help to promote 
our holiness and happiness, by reminding us of motives to humility, 
faith, and love. Many have strong but wisanctified memories, 
which serve only to increase their knowledge, not their grace; 
and, of consequence, to aggravate their condemnation. But by 
sanctification, the memory being consecrated to God and religion, 
becomes a sacred storehouse for the christian's supply in his jour- 
ney through this wilderness to the New Jerusalem. There the 
word of truth is laid up, whence he is furnished with " the armour 
of righteousness on the right hand and on the left," with food to 
nourish, and with medicine to heal the disorders of his souL 
There former experiences are preserved, which being reviewed, 
afford much matter for humiliation and gratitude, and greatly add 
to his confidence and joy. And there the dispensations of Divine 
Providence, whether of a public or a private nature, whether 
towards himself or others with whom he has been acquainted, are 
kept in store, and being reflected upon, serve both for caution and 
for comfort; both to guard him against those sins and follies for 
which God hath chastised him and others, and to prompt him to 
that holy living, and those good works, which fail not of meeting 
with a present reward. Above all, there he treasures up the com- 
mandments of God, with many prudential rules of duty, that he 
may never be at a loss to know the way wherein he ought to go, 
and " how he ought to walk therein so as to please God." 

We come now to consider, 2dly, the sanctification of the soul, 
'''Ivw) including under that terra the passions and appetites. 



240 



THE NATURE AND 



1. By the passions, I mean those affections or emotions of the 
mind, which are excited upon the apprehension of any real or 
supposed good or evil. When we apprehend any thing good or 
excellent, we love (that is, esteem and take complacency in) it ; if 
it appear any way suitable to us, we desire it, and that more or 
less, as it appears more or less suitable. If there be any prospect 
of attaining it, we hope for it, and our hope is in proportion to such 
a prospect. If we have actually attained it, and find it answer 
our expectations, we rejoice in the possession of it. — On the other 
hand, when we apprehend any thiug evil, we hate it ; if it appear 
hurtful to us, we are averse to it. If, farther, it seem likely to 
befall us, we fear it ; and if it do in fact befall us, it excites sorrow 
and distress. These are generally accounted the principal and 
leading passions, from which all the rest are derived, and to which 
they may be referred, viz. love and hatred, desire and aversion, 
hope and fear, joy and sorrow ; and these I shall confine myself 
to at present. 

2. Wow all these must be sanctified, being naturally irregular or 
inordinate. It is a melancholy truth, manifest from daily experi- 
ence and observation, and confirmed by the testimony of scripture, 
that we are even prone to love what we should hate, and hate what 
we should love : desire what we should abhor ; and abhor what 
we should desire ; hope for what we should rather fear ; and fear 
what should excite our hope; rejoice in that which ought to give 
us sorrow ; and sorrow for that which ought to afford us joy. 
And certainly, the supposed good things of this world, such as 
riches, honours, health, ease, the pleasures of sense, and those of 
imagination, naturally excite our love and desire; hope and joy; 
while the supposed evil things of the world, such as poverty, dis- 
grace, sickness, pain, labour, toil, awaken in us the contrary pas- 
sions of hatred, aversion, fear, and sorrow. 

3. It is true, there is a sense in which this is lawful, viz. when it 
is in perfect subordination to God and his holy will ; I mean, when 
these different and contrary passions are excited in us in a regular 
manner, in a due degree, and are only indulged for God's sake, and 
with a view to his glory. But surely, this is not the case with us 
before, or any farther than we are sanctified. Previous to this 
change being wrought upon us, not only the foremehtioned things of 
the world reputed good, but sin itself is the object of our love and 



.EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION. 241 

desire, hope, and joy ; while God and religion, holiness and obedi- 
ence, things spiritual and divine, are hated and avoided, as though 
they were evil in themselves, and prejudicial to us. That this is 
the case, all who are enlightened by the Spirit of God, have seen 
and felt to their sorrow; and as for those who are still unawakened, 
I beg leave to remind them of the words of inspiration, " The 
heart (including the affections) is deceitful above all things, and 
desperately wicked}' and again, " God saw that the wickedness 
of man was great upon the earth, and that the imagination of the 
thoughts of his heart was only evil, and that continually ;-— evil 
from his youth up." 

4. How much then do our passions need to be sanctified ! How 
necessary is it that a change should be wrought in them ! That 
they should be properly restrained and duly regulated! Sub- 
jected to the will of God, and fixed upon their proper objects ! all 
which is implied in their sanctification. " The Lord direct your 
hearts into the love of God," says St. Paul,* that is, May the 
whole train of your affections be under the influence of the love of 
God. Now this is really and fully done when we are sanctified. 
Then God and his holy will, religion and virtue, holiness here, 
and happiness hereafter, engage our chief attention, and possess the 
supreme place in our affections. We highly esteem and fervently 
love them, eagerly desire, and diligently pursue them : they are the 
objects of our hope and joy, and we take complacency and delight 
in them from day to day. And if we desire or delight in any 
thing else, it is in subordination to God and his holy will. We 
are therefore " crucified unto the world, and the world is cruci- 
fied unto us we are saved from the love of tilings temporal, from 
all undue attachment to them, and desire after them, well know- 
ing, " if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in 
him." 

5. In the meantime, our aversion to the evil things of the world, 
as poverty, reproach, sickness, and pain, is so moderated, that we 
are resigned to suffer them when God shall so appoint; neither 
fearing them when absent with any fear that hath torment, nor sor- 
rowing as those that have no hope nor portio i in God, when they 
are present. But rather we desire often to "have fellowship with 



* 2 Thess. iii. 5. 

Gg 



242 



THE NATURE Ai\D 



Christ iu his sufferings, and rejoice that he is magnified in our 
body," whether by ease or pain, " life or death." Yea, when our 
" afflictions abound, our consolations do much more abound." At 
the same time, sm, all sin, whatever honour, or pleasure, or profit 
it promises, is the object of our hatred and abhorrence. We are 
heartily sorry for our past sins, the remembrance of them is 
grievous unto us, and by the grace of God we determine for the 
future not to repeat them. We have an utter hatred to every 
appearance of evil, and a filial fear of offending him whom ouv 
souls love. And thus are all our passions exercised upon their 
proper objects, and duly regulated. 

6. Having dwelt so long upon the foregoing particulars, I shall 
say less upon the appetites^ the sanctification of which comes next 
to be considered. By the appetites, I mean those propensities or 
inclinations which are suited to an animal nature, and which God 
hath for wise ends implanted in us, whom he hath endued with 
such a nature. These it is not the will of God to eradicate, any 
more than our passions, but only to regulate and restrain them, of 
which surely they have great need. For, alas! how frequently, 
how almost universally are they indulged to excess! How much 
delicacy and expensive superfluity iu eating and drinking! How 
many useless, nay, destructive dishes and invented liquors ! How 
much intemperance among all orders and degrees of men ! How 
much gluttony and drunkenness ! How many estates are squan- 
dered away ! How many families reduced to beggary, to gratify 
a vile appetite, to fulfil a beastly desire ! And, what is yet more 
to be deplored, how many thus ruin a good constitution, and bring 
various diseases upon themselves, at once painful and loathsome, 
which it is beyond the power of medicine to remedy, and which 
terminate at last in an untimely death 5 while, iu the meantime, 
they deprive themselves of the divine favour, and cast their souls 
into endless perdition ! " Their end is destruction, because their 
God is their belly, and their glory is their shame." In fine, how 
much uncleanness of every kind, the scandal and reproach, I will 
not say of Christianity, but of human nature itself ! How far, in 
these respects, is man degraded beneath the brutes that perish ! 

7. Now the sanctification of our appetites puts an entire end to 
all this, and enables us to live soberly, as well as righteously and 
godly in this present world, strictly cultivating temperance and 



EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION. 



243 



chastity in all their branches. It implies the crucifixion of all 
desire after superfluous or delicate food, and the restraint or eradi- 
cation of ail impure lusts whatsoever. Then shall Ave only take 
that quantity and quality of food Avhich is most conducive to our 
bodily health, and best fits us for the service of God in that lawful 
calling wherein his providence hath placed us. Then shall we 
manifest in all our tempers, words, and works, the inward purity 
of our hearts. We shall glorify God by chastity and modesty in 
a single life, the more excellent way to those who can receive it, 
or by temperance and fidelity in a marriage state, which is honour- 
able in all, and necessary for many. In either state we shall pre- 
serve ourselves free from the "pollutions that are in the world 
through lust." Remembering that our bodies as well as souls, are 
temples of the Holy Ghost, and bought with the blood of Christ, 
we shall not prostitute them to sin and the devil by gratifying any 
base desire, but shall keep them holy, that we may '•' glorify God, 
as well iu our body as spirit, which are God's.", 

This leads me, 3dly, to subjoin a few words on the sanciification 
of the body. 

1. The spirit and soul being depraved, seduced from God, 
debauched by sin, and devoted to the service of Satan, the body, 
a mere servant and instrument in their hands, is obliged to accom- 
pany them in their revolt, and obey the dictates of its leaders. As 
the understanding of the natural man does not discern the evil of 
sin, nor his conscience remonstrate against it ; as his will and affec- 
tions choose and embrace it, and his appetites hurry him on to the 
commission of it, it is no wonder if his flesh " serve the law of 
sin," and he ''present his members as instruments of unrighteous- 
ness" thereunto. Indeed the members of our bodies may be 
always said to serve sin, when we are not influenced by the love of 
God, and a regard to his glory ; because then our motives and 
ends are not good, nor of consequence, the words and actions to 
which they give birth. Our eye is not single, but evil, and hence 
" our whole body is full of darkness," our whole conduct a scene 
of sin : We serve ourselves and the devil, but not the Lord Jesus. 
And however innocent our outward deportment may appear before 
men, it is far from meeting with his approbation " who searcheth 
the heart, and trieth the reins of the children of men," 



THE NATURE AND 



2. But, alas! too often it is not outwardly innocent, but we "pre- 
sent our members servants to uncleauness, and iniquity unto iniqui- 
ty." Our eyes are employed in beholding vanity, if not in grati- 
fying the lustful, envious, or covetous desire. Our ears are attentive 
to idle songs, to flattering lips, and a slauderous tongue. If our 
hands do not pick and steal, rob and defraud, hurt and maim any 
one : if they do not injure our neighbour in his person or property, 
yet they are perhaps incentives to concupiscence or wrath, or 
negligent in our calling and in relieving the indigent. If our feet 
be not <c swift to shed blood," if they do not assist us to pursue, 
overtake, and abuse or destroy those for whom Christ died; yet do 
they perhaps "walk in the way of sinners and follow the multi- 
tude to do evil," conveying us to places of debauchery and 
excess, riot and uncleanness. And our tongue, that glory 
of our frame, whereby we should praise our God and edify 
our fellow-creatures, supposing shame and humanity preserve it 
(would to God they always did ! from " blaspheming that holy name 
whereby we are called," and cursing our brethren of mankind : yet 
will it backbite and slander the absent, or talk unprofitably before 
such as are present. Thus, through sin, do we abuse and dishonour 
our own bodies, and turn the gifts of God against him. We do not, 
indeed, hide our Lord's talent in a napkin, but we do what is still 
worse, we employ it to his manifest dishonour. 

3. But observe the change sanctification produces, even in the use 
of our body. Then it is that we comply with the Apostle's exhor- 
tation, " let not sin reign in your mortal body, to obey it in the lusts 
thereof, neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteous- 
ness unto sin ; but yield yourselves to God, as those who are alive 
from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness 
unto God." Our eyes are now employed in reading the word of 
God, and discovering the wonders of his wisdom, power, and love v . 
manifested in the works of creation. Our ears are open to receive 
instruction, to hearken to the complaint of the poor, and the distress 
of the afflicted. Our tongues proclaim the loving-kindness of the 
Lord, and speak of all his wondrous works. " Grace is poured 
into our lips," and " the law of kindness dwells upon our tongue." 
<l Our conversation is seasoned with salt, meet to minister grace to 
the hearers." Our hands are exerted in honest labour, or stretched 
out in acts of charity, according to the ability God hath given, 



EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION. 



Out feet convey us to the house of God, the assembly of the saints* 
and we walk in all his pleasant ways : we walk worthy of the Lord 
unto all pleasing, and serve him with every faculty of our soul and 
member of our body. 

4. Thus have we seen how every part of us is to be sanctified; 
I have only to add, before I dismiss this head of my discourse, 4thly, 
That it is further intended by the word oMlsteis, that every part 
should be sanctified perfectly. Not as if the apostle meant that any 
bounds could be set to this sanctification, so that we could, at any 
period, say, " hitherto shalt thou go and no further not as if 
there were any state to be arrived at on earth, wherein our holiness 
should be incapable of increase. Surely no : nor, is it probable, 
even in heaven. It seems essential to the happiness of a creature, a 
finite being, that it should continually advance in perfection. And 
this it may do through millions of ages, and still come infinitely 
short of the perfection of God. It appears from what has been said, 
that the sanctification of our other powers arises from, and depends 
upon, the sanctification of the understanding. The more the under- 
standing is enlightened in the true knowledge of God, the more our 
will and afftctions centre in him as our chief good. The more we 
discern, by the light of grace, the vanity of the world, the more 
must our hearts be disengaged from it. The same I may say 
of sin in general: the more evil it appears, the more shall we hate 
and guard against it. And with regard to holiness, the more excel- 
lent in its nature, and^ happy in its tendency it seems to us, the more 
shall we love and pursue it. Now, who can say he is as much 
enlightened in these respects as he may be ? Surely none. And 
surely then, none can reasonably think he is arrived at the top 
of the ladder in holiuess, and can therefore advance no further. 
But while we are in the world, we may and must consider it to be 
our duty and privilege, to " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 

2. But when the apostle prays that we may be perfectly sanctified, 
he means as far as we are capable of being in this world ; " that the 
darkness may pass away, and the true light continually shine 
"that we may walk in the light, as he is in the light" having 
daily fellowship with him, and one with another. " That we 
may have an unction from the holy one teaching us all things," the 
* spirit of truth guiding us into all truth." He means further, that 



246 



THE NATURE AND 



our will should be wholly conformed to, and swallowed up in the 
will of God, so that we may lie in his hands as clay in the hands of 
the potter, to be disposed of according to his will, and formed after 
his likeness, choosing him for our only portion, and resigning up all 
our designs and desires to him. Again, that our conscience should 
continually feel the cleansing virtue of Jesus"s blood; that we 
should wash in the fountain and be ever clean, saying, from the 
heart, 

" Every moment, Lord, I have, 
The merit of thy death 3" 

and that we should find continual matter of rejoicing in the testi- 
mony of a good and tender conscience. He means, lastly, that our 
passions and appetites should be so regulated and inflamed with 
divine love, that " a peace passing understanding may keep our 
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus," and we may ""dwell iri 
love, and in God, and God in us." Thus shall we be able to 
adopt the following language, very expressive of the full assurance 
of hope : 

" 'Tis done at last, the great deciding* part, 
The world's subdued, and thou hast all my heart : 
It triumphs in the change, and fixes here, 
Nor does another separation fear; 
No various scenes to come, no change of place, 
Shall thy lov'd image from my soul efface ; 
Nor length, nor breadth, nor distant height above. 
Nor depth below shall part me from thy love." 

And all this, that "whether we eat or drink, or whatever 
we do, we may do all to the glory of God that whatever we do 
in word or deed, we may « do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
giving thanks to God, even the Father, through him." 

3. And now, shall not this blessing be ours ? Can we hear of this 
renovation of our fallen nature, of this health and good constitutiou 
of soul, and not long to possess it ? Surely this sanctificaiion^ so 
excellent in itself, and so beneficial in its effects, must appear in the 
eyes of all that are enlightened, to be far more desirable than the 
most valuable of those earthly vanities, which so universally engage 
the attention, and engross the affections of mankind ! Surely one 



EXTENT OF SANCTIFICATION. 047 

cannot even transiently behold this divine perfection and beauty, 
without emotion, and cannot attentively consider it without being 
overcome with desire, and made (as it were) sick of love ! How 
lovely is this image of God, this divine nature ! How honourable 
and happy to be clothed with it ! To have all our sins forgiven, 
and our consciences sprinkled from guilt ! To have ail our dis- 
eases healed, and our souls restored to perfect soundness ! To have 
our life redeemed from eternal destruction, and our heads crowned 
with loving-kindness and tender mercies ! To have God's approba- 
tion on earth, and to hear him say in that day, *« Well done ?" O 
what equals this ? 

" And shall the victor now 

Boast the proud laurels on his painted brow ? 
Religion ! Oh thou Cherub ! heavenly bright, 
Oh joys unmix'd and fathomless delight ! 
Thou, thou art all !" 

4. As to the way ia which this holiness is obtained, I must beg 
leave to make that a distinct head of discourse, having enlarged 
so much on the points already treated. In the meantime, let us 
carefully consider what hath been advanced ; let us mark, learn, 
and inwardly digest it ; and let us lift up our hearts unto God in 
earnest prayer for his blessing upon it ! Thus shall we become 
more and more acquainted with its excellency and necessity. 
Our desires after it will be maintained and increased, and we shall 
even " hunger and thirst after righteousness." And then we shall 
not only be prepared to receive benefit by what may hereafter be 
said, but shall be in the high-way to have our desires accomplished, 
for " blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, 
for they shall be filled." 



SERMON Xllf, 



ON 



THE WAY OF ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 



May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly : and I pray 
God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blame- 
less unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he 
that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thess. v, 23, 24. 

i. Having considered the nature and extent of sanctification 9 
I proceed now, secondly, as was proposed, to show how it may be 
obtained ? 

1. With regard to this, I must observe, 1st, We cannot pro- 
duce this change in ourselves by any wisdom or power of our own. 
This will be readily allowed by all who attentively consider what 
has been already advanced on the nature of sanctification. For 
it appears by the account given above, that previous, at least to 
some measure of sanctification, and while in our natural state, we 
are devoid of all wisdom and power to do any manner of thing 
that is good. And this is confirmed by our Lord, who saith, "With- 
out me ye can da nothing." Now if we can do nothing without 
him, how can we do this, so great, so wonderful a work ? Can 
the blind restore himself to sight ? Can the dead raise himself up ? 
Can the dead in sin quicken his own soul ? Alas t he <^oes not eves 

H h 



250 



ON THE WAY OF 



know that he is dead, but sleeps on still and takes his rest ; and it 
he did know, he has no ability to perioral what is so supernatural 
What then must be done in this case ? Where shall we find relief? 
St. Paul teSls us, <fc Our sufficiency is of God ;" and again, u God 
worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure." Hence it 
is, that in the words of our text, he directs his prayer unto God 
for this blessing, " May the very God of peace, uvlos h o Geo$ r*$ 
eiptivr t s: n It should rather be rendered, 44 May the God of peace 
himself sanctify you." It is his peculiar work: Only "he who 
commanded light to shine out of darkness," can " shine into our 
hearts ; only he who created the world, and brought order out of 
confusion, can new-create our souls. We must acknowledge his 
workmanship," if we are "created in Christ Jesus unto good 
works." 

2. I observe, 2dly, God works this change in us, by communi- 
cating to us his holy Spirit in his various graces. As a Spirit of 
wisdom and revelation, he dispels the darkness of our minds, and 
makes us light in the Lord." As a Spirit of holiness, he sub- 
dues our wills, and raises our affections to God and heaven. As a 
comforter, he removes our guilty fears, scatters our doubts, and 
sprinkles our consciences from dead works, that we may serve the 
living God. He composes the tumult of our breasts, gives us 
" peace and joy through believing," and fills us with strong conso- 
lation. He is the " earnest of our future inheritance in 'out 
hearts," and it is by him we are " sealed to the day of redemp- 
tion." Hence it is that we are said " to abound in hope by the 
power of the Holy Ghost ;" and love, meekness, gentleness, long- 
suffering, and every holy affection and temper is in scripture 
ascribed to the Spirit of God. Yea, sanctification it elf, with all 
that it includes, is there said to be the work of the Spirit.* 

3. And as God begins this work by giving us his Spirit, so he 
maintains it by causing his Spirit to continue with us. For as 
the beginning, so the continuance of sanctification depends neces- 
sarily upon his inspiration. For " as the branch cannot bear fruit 
of itself, unless it abide in the vine," and the sap of the vine abide 
in it ; " no more can we, except we abide in Christ," and the Spi- 
rit of Christ abide in us. " Jf any man (do not observe this, and! 



* 2 Thess. ii. 13. 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 251 

abide not in him, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered." 
Hence Christ exhorts us, " Abide in me, and I in you ;" and, for 
our encouragement, adds, "He that abideth In me, and I in 
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit ; and every branch in me 
that beareth fruit, my Father purgeth it, that it may bring forth 
more fruit." The sum of the matter is this : All our wisdom in 
spiritual things, holiness, and happiness, arise from the presence of 
the Spirit in us. While he continues to enlighten, sanctify, and 
comfort us, so long we know, obey, and are happy. But if he for? 
sake us, (which it is not his will to do) all our good vanishes, and 
we are left the same ignorant, unholy, miserable creatures we 
were before. 

4. It plainly follows from what has been advanced, that our 
sanctification can only be increased by an increase of the Spirit's 
influences. For if the beginning and continuance of our sancti- 
fication depend so entirely on the beginning and continuance of 
{he operations of the Spirit, so must an increase of it, on an 
increase of those operations. The more deep, constant, and uni- 
versal those influences are, the more deep, constant, and universal 
must our sanctification be. So that, in order to our full, perf ect, 
and entire sanctification, we must « be filled with the Spirit," must 
receive all those measures of grace purchased for us, and promised 
to us; must "be filled with all the fulness of God," must " dwell 
in God, and God in us." Thus shall "all the good pleasure of 
his will be fulfilled in us, and the work of faith with power;" we 
shall be made perfect and entire, lacking nothing ; shall stand com- 
plete in the whole will of God, being " holy, as he that hath 
called us is holy." 

5. It appears, therefore, if ever we are sanctified, we must be 
indebted to God for our sanctification, must acknowledge him the 
author of it. Now none of us can doubt his power in this matter. 
" He is able," we know, " to do for us exceeding abundantly, 
above all that we can ask or think, according to the power thai 
worketh in us." But is he willing ? " Lord, if thou wilt, thou 
canst make me clean." And surely we have no more reason to 
doubt his willingness than his power ; for he is a " God of peace," 
as the apostle informs us in our text. Had it been otherwise, we 
could have had little hope of being forgiven, and much less of 



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ON THE WAY OF 



being renewed ; we could have expected nothing but utter destruc^ 
tion, having beeu rebels against his government, and traitors to the 
King of kings, and Lord of lords. But here is our comfort, He 
is a " God of peace." He has " made peace for us by the blood 
of the cross." He is " in Christ reconciling the world to himself, 
not imputing their trespasses to them," and " Peace be unto you," 
is the language of his love. He sent his angels to bring tidings of 
peace upon earth, and has appointed his ministers to proclaim peace 
throughout all lands. 

6. And now say, whether it is reasonable to call his willingness 
in question? "If he hath not withheld from us his only -begotten 
Son, but freely delivered him up for us all," to sufferings, to death, 
even the most ignominious and accursed death of the cross, " how 
shall he not with him freely give us all things ?" Especially the 
blessings he purposely died to procure ? Did Christ " suffer with- 
out the camp that he might sanctify the people by his- blood " and 
will he deny them the sanctification he thus purchased ? Surely he 
will not. « If while we were enemies, we were reconciled unto 
God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we 
shall be saved by his life." Oh ! what consolation is here ! That 
love which gave us Christ, can deny us nothing good. — We are his 
offspring, his children, and he is our Father : And will our hea- 
venly Father refuse us what he knows to be necessary for us ? I 
appeal to vourselves. " If a son ask bread of any of you who is 
a father, will he for bread give him a stone ? Or if he ask a fish, 
will he give him a serpent?" JNow, if ye, being evil," angry, 
peevish, unkind, if ye " know how to give good gifts unto your 
children, how much more will your heavenly Father," who is pure, 
boundless, universal love, " give his Holy Spirit to those that ask 
\}\m ?" Sing we then, 

" Away, my unbelieving- fear, 

Fear shall in me no more take place ; 
My Saviour doth not yet appear, 
He hides the brightness of his face. 

But shall I, therefore, Let him go, 

And basely to the tempter yield ? 
No, in the strength of Jesus, no, 

I never will give up my shield 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 353 

7. For consider further, he hath invited us to come to him for 
this blessing : " Faithful is he that hath called you."* God haih, 
in a variety of ways, (by his providence, his word, his ministers, 
his Spirit,) called us to come to him for sanctificatioo. And will 
he mock his helpless creatures ? Will he deceive our confidence, 
and disappoint our expectations? Will he bid us come to him for 
sanctificatioo, and when we are come, turn his back upon us, and 
refuse us the blessing ? Far be the thought from us ! Surely this 
would be a degree of cruelty rarely to be met with among men, 
abandoned as they are; and to ascribe this to God, would be highly 
derogatory to his glory, and little less than blasphemy. It would 
be to impeach his divine love, his darling attribute, and to make 
him altogether such a one as ourselves. 

8. But that unbelief, as to this point, may be banished from 
among us, that it may make its appearance no more, I must add, 
we have not only the divine wisdom, and poivcr y and love, all 
engaged to sanctify us, but his faithfulness also. " Faithful is he 
that hath called you." This intimates that God hath promised it, 
and this he certainly hath done in many places, and in various 
forms of expression. By Moses he says, " I will circumcise thy 
heart, and the heart of thy seed, and thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, and soul, and strength." By Jeremiah he 
says, " I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their 
hearts;" a promise the apostle thought so precious, that he quotes 
it twice ays a principal and distinguishing blessing of the new cove- 
nant. By Ezekiel God promises, " I will sprinkle clean water 
upon you, and you shall be clean ; from all your filthiness and idols 
will I cleanse you. A new heart will I give unto you, and a right 
spirit will I renew within you." Christ himself assures us, They 
that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled," and that 
his followers " shall be perfect, as their Father in heaven is perfect.*' 
And, to mention no more, St. Peter considers God's promises ia 
general as made with a view to this one end, when he says, 
c< There are given tons exceeding great and precious promises, that 
by these (by the accomplishment of these) we might be marie par- 
takers of the divine nature," even that image of God in which we 
were originally created, knowledge, holiness, and happiness, or, ia 
one word, sanclificalion. 

* Ver, 24, 



354 



ON THE WAY OF 



9. Plain it is, then, that this sanctification is promised, and that 
repeatedly, aad in the most express terms. Now, observe who it 
is that hath made these promises ; not a weak and helpless, false 
and perfidious, fickle and inconstant worm of the earth, whose 
malice and wickedness might prompt him to deceive us, if he were 
ever so able, or whose power might be insufficient, if he were ever 
#o willing, to fulfil his promises. But it is God, our M ker, Pre- 
server, and Redeemer, the Great I AM, the everlasting and 
unchangeable Jehovah, whose wisdom and power, holiness and jus- 
tice, truth and love, are equally infinite ; who is possessed of all 
possible perfections, and all whose perfections oblige him (so to 
gpeak) to fulfil his promises. That love, immense and unsearch- 
able, Avhich first induced him to promise, must as strongly incline 
him to perform; and this, considering his unerring wisdom and 
almighty power, he cannot want ability to do. Nay, this he will 
and must do, because he is holy, just, and true; because it cannot 
be, that the " Strength of Israel should lie," or deceive. So that 
it is, in fact, impossible God should neglect to fulfil his promises, 
for the fulfilment whereof all his attributes stand engaged ; yea, as 
impossible as it is for him to be devested of those attributes, or 
cease to exist. And this we know is of all impossibilities the great- 
est. Well then might the apostle affirm " the promises of God 
ia Christ Jesus to be Yea and Amen." The pillars of heaven 
may give way, the laws of nature be reversed, but no promise o£ 
God shall ever fail of its accomplishment. 

" Should nature fail, and darkness hide the stars, 
And cover with a sable veil the sun, 
Unchanged, and fixf, the truth of God remains, 
Nor knows the least decay. Here will I rest 
With full assurance and unshaken faith." 

Conclude we-then with St. Paul in our text, — " Faithful is he that 
hath called you, who also will do it." 

10. But for whom will he do it? For it is manifest these pro- 
mises are cot made without some restriction, in that they are not 
fulfilled in all men universally. I answer, not for unbelieving, 
praycrless, careless souls; not for those who despise or neglect 
these promises, who prefer to them, great and precious as they are, 
the toys and trifles of earth, the vain amusements and gratifications 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 355 

of sense. Let not these feed themselves with delusive tiopes of 
holiness on earth, or happiness in heaven. Let them not imagine 
that God will confer so great a treasure upon those who so lightly 
esteem it, or that he will force this sanctification upon any one 
against his will. JNor let any suppose that their own desire is to 
have no part in this work, or that they are not to be " workers 
together with God." But let them remember, that " as God 
worketh in them to will and to do, of his good pleasure," they are * 
to use the grace he gives, and " to work out their own salvation 
with fear and trembling." 

To explain this point a little. There is by nature no merit and 
no strength in us. We can do nothing but sin till his grace pre- 
vent and accompany us, and, of consequence, can do nothing to 
Reserve his grace; nay, can do nothing but what deserves his wrath, 
and curse, and eternal punishment. But this, notwithstanding, 
without any regard to our merit, or rather, contrary to our demerit, 
his grace does in fact prevent and accompany us all. Yes, that 
" grace which is saving hath appeared unto all men," and " the 
true light enlighteueth every man that cometh into the world." It 
quickens the dead soul, enlightens the dark mind, awakens the stu- 
pid conscience, excites in us good desires, and in various ways 
helps our infirmities. It is every way sufficient for us, and 
through it <4 strengthening us, we can do all things." Now, upon 
our receiving or rejecting, using or abusing this grace, our salva- 
tion turns. If we stop our ears to its calls, and shut our eyes 
against its light ; if we stupify our conscience w ith the opiates of 
pleasure, and silence its clamours in the hurry of business and 
the distraction of care ; or, to speak in scripture language, if we 
grieve, quench, and do despite to the Spirit of God, our sanctifica- 
tion is prevented, and our salvation precluded. But, on the 
contrary, if we " come to the light that our deeds may be repro- 
ved;" if we "incline our ear, and hear that our soul may live;'* 
if we "consider our ways" and encourage, instead of stifling con- 
victions; if we cherish the motions, follow the drawings, and obey 
the dictates of the Spirit of truth and love, our sanctification is 
promoted, and our eternal salvation secured. Thus only can we 
reconcile those two grand and fundamental truths, written in every 
page (almost) of the Bible, that 44 all our salvation is of God," 
and yet " all our damnation of ourselves;" that we must aeknow- 



256 



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ledge him the author of our sanctification from first to last, and 
yet blame ourselves if we are not sanctified. Thus only can we 
see the reason of those exhortations, promises, and threatenings 
contained in scripture, which can only affect intelligent beings, pos 
sessed of liberty of choice and action. And thus only, in fine, can 
we understand the suitableness and necessity of those means we are 
enjoined to use in order to our sanctification here, and our salva- 
tion hereafter. 

12. For be it observed, God hath appointed certain means with 
a view to our sanctification, and hath only promised to sanctify 
those who are found in the use of them. Such especially are 
faith, and, in order thereto, hearing the word, prayer, and watch- 
fulness. The necessity of faith in this view, is very apparent, 
particularly as it has for its object the promises of sanctification, 
and the Lord Jesus, " in whom these promises are Yea and 
Amen." By faith, according to the apostle, the ancient worthies 
" obtained promises,"* and we must, doubtless, obtain them in the 
same way. We, like them, " seeing the promises," though appa- 
rently afar off, must be ?' persuaded of them, and embrace them." 
We must believe, assuredly, that the Lord hath promised this holi- 
ness, and must rely firmly upon him for the accomplishment of his 
promise. And inasmuch as it will only be accomplished in and 
through Christ, who hath procured by his death, and received in 
consequence of his ascension into heaven, this and every other 
blessing for us, our eye must be unto him, and our expectation from 
him. Persuaded that " in him all fuluess dwells," and that he 
hath invited us to come and "receive out of his fulness grace upon 
grace," we must, by faith, apply to, and depend upon him for grace 
to help in time of need, and for the fuluess of that Spirit Mhich is 
the one source of our sanctification ; and which we receive not by 
the works of the law, but by faith.j Thus will " Christ dwell in 
our hearts by faith," and we shall be " a habitation of God through 
the Spirit." The Spirit of truth, holiness, and comfort, will take 
up his abode in us, aud enlighten, sanctify, and save us. Our 
understanding, once darkness, shall become light in the Lord; our 
will, naturally stubborn and refractory, shall be subjected to the 
holy will of God ; our conscience shall be sprinkled from evil by 



* Heb. xi. 33. t Gal. iii. 2, 5. 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 257 



the blood of Christ ; and all our appetites and passions be brought 
under the influence of love divine. Thus, as the Lord Jesus pro- 
raised on the great day of the feast, " Believing in him, out of our 
belly (as it were) shall flow rivers of living water;" and, as he 
testified to his apostle from heaven, we shall obtain an inherit- 
ance among those that are sanctified by faith in him." 

13. Now this faith, which thus purifieth the heart, cometh by 
hearing; that is, the word of God, whether read or heard, is 
the seed of it. Hence we are said to be "begotten by the word of 
truth," and to be " born of incorruptible seed by the word of God 
the truth is said to " make us free," and the " sanctification of the 
spirit" is closely connected with " the belief of the truth." But 
then as the seed, when lying uncovered upon the surface of the earth, 
will not spring up or bear fruit; so the word of God, if merely read 
and heard, if not received into the heart, and covered up (as it 
were) by frequent and deep consideration, will never produce true 
holiness, or that faith whereby holiness is obiaiued. We must there- 
fore mark, learn, and digest the word ; must think upon it, and 
ponder it in our hearts; must examine ourselves by it, and reduce 
it to practice. And thus only shall we " purify our souls by obey- 
ing the truth, unto that unfeigned love" of God r>id the brethren, in 
which our sanctification chiefly consists, — This is not all ; as the seed 
sown in the earth will yield but a poor produce if not watered with 
the dew and rain of heaven, so the word of God, if not attended 
with the influence of the Holy Spirit, will neither bring forth faitii 
nor holiness. Now this must be sought in prayer, which is the 
third means I have mentioned as necessary to be used in order to 
our sanctification. 

14. " Ask," says the Lord Jesus, "and it shall be given you; 
seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened." This 
advice is applicable to every blessing we expect to receive at the 
hands of God ! we must ask if we would receive them. It is parti- 
cularly applicable to sanctification : for in that remarkable passage 
in the prophecy of Ezekiel, where this blessing is so largely and 
expressly promised, the Lord hath positively said, that * for this 
thing he will be inquired of that he may do it for us." So that it 
plainly appears, all who would enjoy the sanctification above 
described, must wait for it in the way of prayer : and as to those 
who do not possess it, we may affirm, " they b»ve not because they 

I \ 



253 



ON THE WAY OF 



ask not ;" or " they ask and receive not, because they ask amiss/" 
They ask from wrong motives, or in a wrong manner. They are 
prompted, perhaps, merely by pride and self love, and have no view 
to the glory of God ; or they do not ask earnestly, perseveringly^ 
and in faith. The apostle hath directed us to " continue iustam in 
prayer;" but, alas ! how few do so, resolved to take no denial in a 
matter where we have God's express promise ! Instead of this, not 
being deeply conviuced of the excel lency and necessity of this 
sanctification, or not firmly believing that God will bestow it, the 
generality, even of serious people, "grow weary and faint in their 
minds," and desist from the tiresome exercise, before they have 
obtained the blessing. 

1 5. Be it observed, therefore, if we would ask successfully, we 
must ask perseveringly ; and if we would ask perseveringly, we 
must ask in faith. Accordingly St. James says,* " if any man lack 
wisdom (or any other blessing, suppose sanctifying grace) let him 
ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, 
and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith nothing 
wavering," (funh* JW^ /valves, not disputing the divine veracity, 
or doubting the accomplishment of his promise) for he that waver- 
eth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For 
let not that man think he shall receive any thing at the haudsof the- 
Lord." All God's attributes stand engaged to fulfil his promises ; 
and, therefore, after this to doubt their fulfilment, is to put the 
greatest affront upon God ; it is to doubt his being so holy, just, and 
true ; so wise, powerful, and gracious as he declares himself to be. 
We need not vronder, therefore, at the apostle's insisting so much on 
faith as necessary to that prayer which will be followed with aot 
answer of peace. For hereby we give God the glory of his divine 
perfections, and set to our seals that he is true ; whereas to pray in 
unbelief is. to give the lie to the God of truth, and rob him of his 
honour. Hence the Lord Jesus exhorts his disciples, (wondering 
how soon the fig-tree, which he cursed, was withered away,) " have 
faith in God ; for verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say 
to this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the midst of 
the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that 
those things which be saith shall come to pass, he shall have 



* Chap. i. ver. 5, 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 259 

whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say uuto you, (precious words ? 
worthy of our deepest attention!) what things soever ye ask when 
ye pray, believe that ye shall receive them, and ye shall have 
them."* 

16. Only let it not be forgotten, that the prayer which, as it 
were, opens heaven, and brings down those refreshing influences of 
grace upon us, whereby "the wilderness becomes a pool, and the 
dry laud springs of water," is always supposed in scripture to he 
attended with watchfulness : " watch ye and pray always," says the 
Lord Jesus. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in 
the spirit," says St. Paul, " and watchiug thereunto with perseve- 
ranee." " Continue in prayer, (says he again"! and watch in the 
same with thanksgiving." Now this watchfulness implies, that we 
keep all the powers of our souls awake to a sense of the danger we 
are in from our spiritual enemies, and that we stand on our guard 
against their attacks. "Watch and pray that ye enter not into 
temptation," says our Lord. "Be sober, be vigilant," adds St. 
Peter, (or rather vjj^«7f, ys wait, awake and be watchful) for your 
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom 
he may devour." If we would be sanctified by the operation of the 
Holy Spirit, (the only way we can be sanctified) it is absolutely 
secessary that we flee from all sin, as what opposes him in his 
work, grieves his love, and makes him withdraw from us. ]Now 
this we cannot do unless we shun temptation, or are prepared to 
meet it, and " withstand it in the evil day." In order to which we 
must be awake and active, deeply impressed with a sense of our 
danger, and ready to oppose the enemy in his first approaches. I 
might add too, that to watch against sin, and therefore against 
temptation, is necessary in order to our receiving the answer of our 
prayers ; " for God heareth not sinners," continuing in siu, as the 
blind man, whose eyes Christ had opened, testified, and his testi- 
mony is confirmed by the Psalmist, where he says, "if I regard 
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." 

17. These means of sanctification,/aff/i, the word of God, prayer, 
and watchfulness, I particularly insist upon, because they are 
directly and immediately subservient to that end, and indeed neces- 
sary thereunto. But I do not intend hereby to disparage or bpj 



• Mark ii. 22, 25. 



260 



ON THE WAY OF 



aside other means of grace, which are more remotely useful, as 
being helps to those above-mentioned, such as christian conversa- 
tion, fasting, and the Lord's supper. Ail these every christiau 
should be careful to use at all opportunities, and if he do not rest 
in them, but look through them to God, '* his labour shall not he 
in vain in the Lord." 

To conclude this head. How pertinent in this view is the advice 
given by the apostle iu the verses preceding our text. * Let us not 
sleep ' as do others, but let us watch and be sober, putting on the 
breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope of salva- 
tion." He exhorts further, " pray without ceasing" for sanctifica- 
tion, and if ye would not pray in vain, " quench not the Spirit," by 
committing any known sin, by omitting any known duty, or indul- 
ging any wrong temper; yea, l * abstain from every appearance of 
evil; and proving ail things, hold fast that which is good ;" con- 
stantly and resolutely avoid whatever appears to your awakened 
conscience to be displeasing to God, and as constantly and resolutely 
pursue whatever appears agreeable to his will. IsTow, on a suppo- 
sition that the Thessalonians complied with his advice, he with 
confidence prays for them iu the words of our text, and declares, 
"Faithful is he that hath called you, who also will do it." 

I come now, in the third place, to apply what bath been advanced 
upon the before-mentioned heads. 

]. And, first, permit me to remind you of the necessity of this 
sanctification, and iuquire whether you experience it in any degree ? 
Permit me to ask, in reference to what has been advanced, is your 
mind enlightened to see the evil of sin, and your conscience awaken- 
ed to pain you for it ? Has God sealed upon your heart the pardon 
of it, and wrought in your soul an hatred to it ? Has he given you 
power over it, and are you groaning for its entire destruction ? 
Has the all-sufficient God so discovered himself to you, as to attract 
your desires and win your heart ? Have you chosen the Lord for 
your portion, and do you submit your will to him ? Can you bear 
with resignation what he lays upon you, and do with cheerfulness 
what he requires of you ? Is he the centre of your desires, the foun- 
dation of your hopes, and the source of your comforts ? Do you 
long for him, and delight yourself in jhim ? Are your appetites 
under due restraint, and is your body but as an handmaid to the 
soul ? " Being made free from sin, are you become a servant tq 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 261 

God ; and have you your fruit unto holiness, that the end may 
be eternal life?" If not, I dare not assure you you are in a state 
of salvation, or that you possess even that measure of sanctification, 
which is consequent upon faith in Christ. 

2. But is it not highly needful you should possess it ? Yea, and 
that in as great a degree as is intended in our text ? Can you be 
happy on earth, happy in heaven without it ? Oh, settle it in your 
heart that you cannot. By the unalterable decree of God, holiness 
and happiness go hand iu hand, and the latter can only be where 
the former hath prepared its way. Absolutely needful it is you 
should be sanctified, if you would enjoy comfort in life. For oh ! 
consider, what comfort can there be while a guilty conscience 
reproaches you for past crimes, and disturbs you with fears of 
future misery ? While your will is rebellious, and you fret and 
repine at his dispensations, who, notwithstanding, will do all his 
pleasure ? While you are the sport of tumultuous passions, which 
hurry you hither and thither without control ? While you are 
racked with doubt, and dismayed with fear, and oppressed with a 
load of care ? What comfort, while you are the slave of vile lusts 
and insatiable desires ? While you serve sin, and are under the 
dominion of that spirit which worketh in the children of disobe- 
dience ? While this is the case, I ask thee, what hast thou to do 
with peace, with happiness-? Oh, nothing! If thou think other- 
wise, it is because the " God of this world hath blinded thy mind,'' 
and thou art still " dead in trespasses and sins." 

3. But supposing in this diseased state of soul, in which, " from 
the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, there is no soundness, but 
wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores ; aud they have not been 
closed, they have not been bound up, nor mollified with ointment;" 
supposing amidst all this disorder and confusion, where passion and 
appetite, in league with the prince of darkness, are at war with reason 
and conscience, their lawful sovereigns, are engaged in a wicked at- 
tempt to dethrone them both, and assume the reins of government to 
themselves : supposing in this tumultuous anarchy and discord, where 
all is "chaos and wild uproar," you could enjoy calm peace an ! un- 
disturbed tranquillity, which is impossible; supposing care and busi- j 
ness, honour and preferment, wealth and pleasure, could so occupy 
and amuse you, that you should forget your present misery, and be 
unacquainted with distress, which, you know, neither is, nor can be- 



£62 



ON THE WAY OF 



the case; yet remember the end of these things is at hand, " dustthoa 
art, and unto dust thou must return." " It is appointed even lor thee 
to die." And " what is thy life but a vapour," which may afford thee 
a dim and uncertain light lor the present, but will very soon vanish 
and leave thee to eternal darkness. 

4. Oh, remember these "days of darkness, for they are many," 
and who or what will entertain or amuse thee there ? Alas ! thou 
wilt there have time and leisure sufficient to reflect upon the hap- 
piness thou hast lost, and the misery thou hast incurred, without 
any interruption, any alleviation to thy wo, from either business, 
amusement, or pleasure ! There thou wilt find no healing medicines 
to restore thy disordered mind, no lenient hand to assuage thy 
grief, no intoxicating liquors to drown thy distress, no stupifying 
potions to lay thy keen sensations asleep, or blunt the sharpest edge 
of pain. There thou wilt meet with no defence against those 
ravenous beasts of prey which walk in darkness, no place of refuge 
where thou mayest flee for protection against these diabolical 
furies, which even now too often rend, tear, and (as it were; man- 
gle thy soul, but will then be let loose to torment thee. Thy anger, 
malice, and envy ; thy pride, self-will, and discontent ; thy cares 
and desires, fears and sorrows, irregular and inordinate, even now 
give thee so much disturbance, notwithstanding the hurry of busi- 
ness, dissipation of company, and gratifications of sense, that life is 
an intolerable burden: but then, all avocations being removed, 
they will be at liberty to do their utmost, yea, they will be assisted 
by alt the powers of hell, and armed with the almighty wrath of 
God, to render thee an eternal spectacle of wretchedness and 
disgrace. 

5. Oh ! consider, thou poor, blinded, and unholy mortal, what 
fruit thou wilt then reap of thy darkened mind, rebellious will, 
guilty conscience, disorderly affections, insatiable appetites, and 
deformed loathsome members ! Ah ! think what harvest they are 
likely to produce ! " Be not deceived, whatsoever a man sowetb, 
that shall he also reap. They that sow to the flesh shall of the 
flesh reap corruption. The end of these things is death," eternal 
death ; for as the Lord liveth, " without holiness thou canst not 
see his face." If found destitute of this at a dying hour, (an hour 
which may arrive, alas ! how soon !) thou shalt be shut out of the 
boly city, where nothing unclean can enter, excluded the presence. 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 263 

and denied the blissful vision of God. Banished from the society 
of the bh ssed, and deprived of the pure and rapturous delights of 
Paradise, th u shalt be left a prey to thy own devilish nature, and 
constrained to take up thine abode in the dreary dwellings of 
lamentation and wo, where every foul spirit, unhappy and mali- 
cious, hath fixt its habitation ! There thou shalt wait with fearful 
apprehensions and terrifying dread, the impending judgment of the 
great day, which will pour a whole deluge of extreme and endless 
misery upon thy guilty head. 

6. Yes, thou shalt stand at the bar of that highly-exalted, though 
often-despised Saviour, whose dying agony and flowing blood, when 
he suffered without the camp to sanctify thy soul, to expiate thy 
jsins. melted the very rocks, fetched a sigh from the sympathizing 
earth, and caused the sun, the source of joy and gaiety, to put on 
sackcloth, but could not soften thy flinty heart, nor excite one spark 
of sympathy or love from thy frozen and icy breast. Thou shalt 
stand, I say, at his bar, whose amazing and unsearchable love to 
thee, brought him once from the regions of bliss and glory, into a 
world of pain and infamy, where he performed and suffered more 
than can be described for thy salvation; but whose justice is now 
incensed, whose wrath is now T awakened, and whose omnipotence 5s 
now armed to punish thee without pity, to destroy thee beyond 
remedy ! By this once compassionate and kind Saviour, (compas- 
sionate and kind, alas! in vain) but now inexorable and severe 
Judge, thou shalt be tried and condemned. Thou must, therefore, 
bear thy own curse, and suffer the just punishmeut of thy own 
sins, (since by his stripes thou wouldest not be healed,) together 
with a superadded condemnation for neglecting so great a salva- 
tion ! Yes, thou shalt be adjudged to take thy portion " in the lake 
that burnetii with fire and brimstone;" and that will not be a pi act 
of purgation, but of torment, extreme and endless torment! No 
promises of sauctification there! No calls of divine love! No visi- 
tations from his gracious Spirit ! No help ! No hope ! But he that 
is unholy shall be unholy still, and shall therefore be still misera- 
ble. 

7. And now, what sayest thou, sinner? For what wilt thou 
neglect this sanctification, so indispensably necessary to thy present 
and eternal happiness ? What hast thou discovered of so much more 
importance than thia, that thou judgest it better deserving thy atten- 



264 



ON THE WAY OF 



tiou aud desire, care, and pursuit ? Surely thou wilt uot be so mad 
as to sell thy title to yon fair inheritance above, with all the bliss 
and glory of it, and plunge thyself into endless and irretrievable 
ruia, for the momentary and unsatisfying pleasures of sense ? For 
the glittering dust of this perishable world ? Or for the empty 
breath of uncertain praise ? Oh ! my brother, consider what wilt 
thou be profited " if thou shouldest gain even the whole world,'* 
amass together all its wealth, possess all its honours, and enjoy all 
the pleasures it can afford in the greatest perfection, (which, alas ! 
poor, feeble, dying worm, thou canst never do) and, by neglecting 
this sanctification, " lose thy own soul ?" — Or, " What wilt thou 
receive in exchange for thy soul?' 1 Or for this sanctification, which 
is indisputably its truest riches, greatest honour, and most exalted 
and lasting felicity ? Destitute of which, it is poor, and wretched, 
and miserable, and blind, and naked ; but possessed of Avhich, it is 
rich, and glorious, aud happy beyond conception, and forever!. 
What recompense will the devil make thee for neglecting to regain 
this blissful and glorious image of God; for continuing contentedly 
under his power, his obedient slave, his faithful servant, and hereby 
renouncing joy and glory, God and heaven ? For what price dost 
thou sell thy time and talents, thy liberty and life, thy body and 
soul to him? Aias, alas! poor creature, thy gains are but small ! 
Gains! did I say! Thy loss, thou unhappy soul, is irrecoverable, 
and such as millions of ages cannot remedy, and ten thousand 
richer worlds than this cannot repay ! For thou must " be punished 
with, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the 
glory of his power; thou must depart accursed into everlasting 
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. 15 

8. Aw ake then, thou that sleepest! Know thyself, thou fallen spi- 
rit, thou unholy soul! Know that thou hast lost the image of God, 
and art sunk into the image of Satan ! Know that God hath sent 
thee into this tabernacle, that thou mightest " put off the old 
man, and put on the new f mightest recover his image, " even 
righteousness and true holiness." If thou compliest with his design, 
he will take thee to dw r ell with himself in immortal bliss and glory; 
if not, he will consign thee over to everlasting pain and infamy. 
To help thee herein, he hath sent his only-begotten Son into our 
wretched world, to instruct thee by his doctrine and example, and 
to expiate thy sins by suffering a shameful and painful death. With 



ATTAINING SANCT1FICATI0N. 



265 



a view to the same end, his providence attends and watches over 
thee day by day, putting thee in the most favourable circumstances 
for thy restoration ; and his Spirit of Grace visits thy soul, enlight- 
ening thy darkness, and helping thy infirmities. And all this God 
hath been doing for thee from thy youth up. And now the day of 
life is far spent, the night of death is at hand, and at such an hour 
as thou thinkest not, the messenger Will be commissioned to fetch 
thee away, that thou may est give an account of the use thou hast 
made of the time and talents allotted thee, in order to thy sanctifica- 
tion. And if not sanctified, a miserable account wilt thou give ! 
How certain is thy death ! How uncertain the time when ! Per- 
haps even this night thy soul will be demanded ! and dost thou 
trifle still ? 

9. Penetrated with a sense of these truths, let me exhort thee, up 
and be doing. Convinced of its great excellency, its absolute and 
immediate necessity, let thy whole heart long for sanctification ! 
Let all that is within thee pant and gasp after this refreshing 
grace ! Let thy famished and starving soul insatiably hunger and 
thirst for this righteousness, this bread and water of life ! Let thy 
desires after it be fervent, constant, and increasing; and be not sa- 
tisfied till thou " awake up after his likeness." Remembering that 
this holiness is the gift of God, that he alone can work it in thee, 
let thy desire be to him, and thy expectation from him. " Lift up 
thine eyes to the hills from whence thy help cometh; thy help 
cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Only he can 
create thy soul anew ; and he is both able aud willing to do it. JN"ay, 
he hath infallibly promised this blessing to all who ask it. " By 
prayer and supplication, therefore, make thy request known unto 
God." And be in earnest; do not trifle with God. If sanctifica- 
tion be indeed so valuable and necessary, and if God be faithful to 
his word, and have indeed promised it ; then let thy prayers for it 
he fervent and persevering; ask, seek y knock. Repeat and urge 
thy request again and again. Be importunate in prayer, take no 
denial, say, 

" I will not let thee go without thy blessing; 
By thy great name, I enter my protest, 
Never to leave thee, till I see thy word 
Accomplished to my vows : Till thou with full 
K k 



ON THE WAY OF 



And cloudless demonstration, to my soul 
Confirm thy promised grace." 

And £< believe thou shalt have the petitions that thou askest;" and be 
assured fc< thou shalt have them." 

10. In the meantime, consider to whom thou art indebted for this 
sanctification, who it is that hath purchased it for thee. Consider 
him who "gave himself for thee, that he might redeem thee 
from all iniquity, and purify thee from all pollution of flesh and 
spirit." Remember he is " made of God unto thee sanctification." 
If the Father sanctify thee, it is for his Son's sake, and in conformity 
to his Son's image ; yea, and it is only by faith in his Son that thou 
canst obtain the blessing. Convinced of this, and of thy entire sin- 
fulness, deep guilt, and utter helplessness, come to the Father for 
this grace, through the Son, confiding only in him for audience and 
success. Make what he hath done and suffered thy only plea ; re- 
nounce all confidence in thy own wisdom, righteousness, and 
strength ; trust in him alone ; and be satisfied «* he is able to save 
to the uttermost all who come unto God by him." Absolutely 
rely upon his infallible word of promise : " Whatsoever ye shall 
ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified m 
the Son: If ye ask any thing in my name, I will do it." Perse- 
veringly wait its accomplishment, and it shall be done unto thee 
according to thy faith. 

11. Only observe, "If the blessing tarry, wait for it. It will 
surely come, and will not tarry long." Follow the Psalmist's ex- 
ample; "I waited patiently upon the Lord," (or rather, VHp mp. 
In waiting I waited, that is, I waited earnestly and diligently,) and 
" he inclined unto me and heard my cry." Wait thou for the Lord. 
Expect the answer of thy prayers, as the watchman expecteth the 
morning light, and that at all times, and in all places. God has 
not confined himself to any time or place : expect him therefore 
continually : and with that earnestness which becometh a soul con- 
tinually on the brink of death and judgment. " Watch thou, for 
thou neither knowest the day nor the hour when the Son of man 
cometh." Watch for sanctification; watch for Christ's coming; 
watch against sin. Remember where thou art, in the wilderness* 
not in Canaan ; in an enemy's country, not in Paradise ; in the field 
df battle, not reaping the spoils of victory. Wherefore, be sober, 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 267 

be vigilant. Awake, and keep a good look-out: Stand on thy 
guard : Put on the whole armour of God : Resist the devil : Shun 
temptation, and " strive against sin though it be unto blood." Con- 
scientiously use all the means of grace, and look through all to 
the merits of Christ and the Spirit of God, on which alone thy hopes 
liust be founded. 

12. Once more. Amidst all this strife and agony, " possess thy 
soul in patience." Endeavour after a calm, composed, and peaceful 
state of heart. Let thy mind be " stayed on the Lord," and he 
will " keep thee in perfect peace," and that peace thou wilt find 
wonderfully helpful in promoting thy sanctification. It was pro- 
bably with a view to this composure and serenity of mind so friendly 
to divine inspiration, that the Prophets of old sometimes made use 
of music, when they expected any extraordinary influences of the 
Holy Spirit*. They seem to have iutended hereby, the calming 
of their passions, and the introducing into their souls an heavenly- 
peace and tranquillity, that the mild and gentle Spirit of the Holy 
One might delight to visit and dwell with them. And surely we 
are never better disposed for further visitations, discoveries, and 
operations from that same Spirit, for more intimate union with the 
Father and the Son through him, than when we are calm, settled, 
and peaceful. Then our souls wait for him as the thirsty land for 
the falliug showers. Then, * as the eyes of a maiden are unto the 
hands of her mistress, so are our eyes unto the Lord, till he have 
mercy upon us." Then the dew of heaven distils upon our 
branches, yea, he " sends a gracious rain upon his inheritance, and 
refreshes it when it is weary." Thus " in quietness and in rest are 
we saved." Let it be thy care, therefore, .{o resist every tempta 
tion to inquietude, care, and anxiety. 

tf What profit canst thou gain 
By self-consuming 1 care? 
To him commeud thy cause, his ear 
Attends the softest prayer 

" Stand still, and see the salvation of God," and yet, " agonize 
fo enter in at the strait gate." Join the agony of desire to the 



* '2 Kings iii. 15, 



268 



ON THE WAY OF 



peace of dependence, and the patience of hope. May God help 
thee to reconcile these, and all will be well : " The God of peace 
himself will sanctify thee wholly, and the whole of thee, the spirit, 
and soul, and body, will be preserved blameless to his heavenly 
kingdom. Faithful is he that calleth thee, who also will do it " 

" I rest upon thy word, 

The promise is for me; 
My succour and salvation, Lord, 

Shall surely come from thee : 
But let me still abide, 

Nor from my hope remove, 
'Till thou my patient spirit guide 

Iuto thy perfect love." • 

13. I must not conclude these discourses without addressing a 
few words to those, who profess to have attained this sanctifica- 
tion. — 1st, See that your profession be founded on truth: Take 
care that you do not deceive yourself. Remember, if you are 
indeed sanctified in the sense that has been explained, you think 
less of yourself than ever you did in all your life. Your under- 
standing is so enlightened in the knowledge of God and of yourself; 
you have such clear views of God's incomprehensible greatness and 
your own exceeding littleness, of his infinite wisdom and your ex- 
treme folly, of his almighty power and your amazing weakness, of 
his unspotted purity and your great defilement, of his inflexible 
justice and your notorious guilt and desert of eternal misery * 
and above all, you have such a discovery of the boundless mercy 
and love of God. to lost sinners in general, and to yourself in parti- 
cular, and of your ulter un worthiness in all respects, and how far 
you come short of paying the debt of gratitude due to him for such 
goodness ; — that you are ashamed, confounded, and as it were 
brought to nothing before his glorious Majesty, crying out from the 
bottom of your heart, " Who can stand before this holy Lord God ? n 
As for me, " 1 am less than the least of all his mercies, less than the 
least of all saints," not worthy to wash the feet of the servants of 
my Lord S — And at the same time you have such an insight into the 
spirituality, extent, and obligation of the holy law of God, into the 
height and depth, length and breadth of the obedience it requires; 
•and together therewith, have such a sense of your past sins, and of 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 269 

s- 

your present failings, whereby you continually come short of the 
glory of God, that you never before relished so well, or found such 
sweetness in the confession of holy Job, u behold, I am vile ! What 
shall I answer thee ? I will lay my hand upon my mouth."- — Judge 
yourself, therefore, by this rule, and remember, if you indeed 
possess what you profess, you are " of a contrite and humble 
spirit," you even " abhor yourself, and repent as in dust and ashes." 

14. Now that you may retain this spirit of humility, without 
which you cannot possibly retain that measure of sanctification you 
possess, much less obtain a still greater degree, and increase with all 
the increase of God ; — settle these two things deeply in your heart, 
1st, that what you are, you are by grace ; and, 2dly, that you are 
i not what you may, and, if you continue faithful, shall be. — Re- 
member, 1st, that you are wholly indebted to the mere mercy of 
God, the atoning sacrifice of Christ, aud the powerful influence of 
the Spirit of Grace for all the good that is in you or about you. 
And remember that the holiness which is wrought in you, is not 
lodged as a stock in your own hands, but you are dependent daily 
upon God for it. The same mercy which first bestowed it, bestows 
it afresh every moment; the same merit of Christ which first inter- 
posed on y our behaif, and purchased this blessing for you, inter- 
poses still ; and the same Holy Spirit which first influenced your 
heart with the love of God, is still the one source of your wisdom 
and power, holiness and happiness. — If this were withdrawn, it 
might still be said, that " in you dwelleth no manner of thing that 
is good." 

15. This is not all: It is not only necessary in order to your 
retaining an humble mind, that you should ascribe all the good that 
is in you to the grace of God aloue, and no part of it to yourself ; 
and that you should be sensible you are continually dependent upon 
God for it. But it is also needful, 2dly, that you should not over- 
value the good that is in you, or. think of your attainments, or of 
yourself on account of them, more highly than you ought to think. 
That you may not fall into this very life and soul of spiritual 
pride, which would undoubtedly grieve the Holy Spirit of God, 
and be as a worm at the root of your graces,, settle it in your heart 
that you still come very short of your duty, and are deficient both 
in the inward exercise of love, and the outward acts of virtue. 
Place before your eyes the moral law as it is explained by Moses 



270 



ON THE WAY OF 



and the Prophets, Christ and his Apostles. Remember it is of in- 
dispensable obligation, and can no more be abrogated, than God can 
be unholy. Remember too, that it requires you not only to love 
God with all your hearty but also tq serve him with all your 
strength, or to the uttermost of your power, and to love your 
neighbour as yourself, doing him all the good you cau iu soul and 
body, from day to day. In other words, the law of God requires 
you to employ all your powers and faculties, of whatever kind, at 
all times and in all places, as far as possible to the glory of God, 
and for the good of mankind. Now this you dare not say you have 
yet done for one single day in all your life ; you dare not affirm, 
you have for one day loved and served either God or your neigh- 
bour as much as you might have done. You have therefore still 
need to pray, " Father, forgive us our trespasses," and to acknow- 
ledge it is of the. Lord's mercies even you pre not consumed. 

16. It follows from hence, 3dly, that you have still room for 
growing in grace, and in a conformity to the Lord Jesus. This 
indeed you will readily allow ; but you must allow more. You 
must allow not only that you may, but that you must go forwaicj 
towards higher attainments in the divine life, if you would not 
grieve the holy Spirit of God, and lose what you have already 
gained. God, you must remember, * hath predestinated you to be 
conformed to the image of his Son;" to have that whole mind in 
you which was in Christ Jesus, and to walk as he walked ; to have, 
like him, the law of God fully exemplified in your life ; to be living 
images of him, as he is of the Father. This is the mark God hath 
set you, and if you would not deceive yourself, and sink into sloth 
and indolence, you must not set yourself a lower mark. You must 
not cease to desire and pray, strive and labour, watch, deny your- 
self, and take up your cross, till you have in you the humility, 
meekness, and resignation ; the faith, hope, and charity ; the zeal 
for God's glory, and the salvation of sinners; the bowels of mercy, 
tenderness, and compassion ; the love to God and mankind, with 
the proper fruits flowing therefrom, which dwelt in the Son of God. 
In a word, till, as the Apostle says, you are even "filled with all 
the fulness of God." 

17. Remembering you have dedicated all the faculties of your 
soul and members of your body, with all you have and are, to God, 
to be at his disposal, you must study to employ them from day to 



ATTAINING SANCTIFICATION. 



271 



' day according to his will, and for the promotion of his honour and 
glory. Your understanding, conscience, and memory, jour will 
and affections, your passions and appetites, your senses and mem- 
bers, your time and talents, your spirit, soul, and body, with all 
that belongs to you, must be holiness to the Lord, set apart for God, 
and used as he directs. This is what the moral law requires, and 
what the example of Christ holds out to your view f and this you 
must never cease aiming at and striving after. "JNTot as though you 
had already attained this, either were already perfected ; but you 
must follow after, if by any means you may apprehend that or 
which you are apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, you must 
not count yourselves to have apprehended" all that God has to work 
in you, and perform by you: You live that you may still know 
more, receive more, do more, and suffer more : " But this one thing 
you must do, forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching 
forth to the things that are before ; you must press towards the mark 
for the prize of your high calling of God in Christ Jesus," that at 
last you may "stand complete in the whole will of God, and be as 
Christ was in this world." I say, "Let as many of you as are 
perfect be thus minded; and if any of you be otherwise minded, 
God," if you are sincere and watchful, " will reveal this unto you," 
and show you your mistake. 

Once more. Having guarded you against pride and sloth, let me 
also guard you against carnal security. Remember you have a 
threefold enemy yet to encounter, not only the devil and the world, 
but also the fiesh. Though "your old man is crucified with 
Christ," and you are even "dead to sin, and alive unto God, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord;" yet remember you have still an animal na- 
ture about you, the seat of various senses, appetites, and passions, and 
that this will infallibly lead you astray and betray you into sin,if not 
watched over and kept under continual restraint. You have, there- 
fore, still daily need to *t deny yourself, to keep the body under and 
bring it into subjection, lest" after all these attainments, " you should 
become a cast-away." And take care you do not rest in, or place 
any dependence upon any thing done for you at any particular time 
or place : but remembering you are every moment pleasing or dis- 
pleasing to God, according to the whole of your inward tempers and 
wtward behaviour," giving daily proof, as of yom justification, so 



272 



ON THE WAY OF, &c. 



also of your sanctification, by your unblameable and edifying con- 
duct and conversation. And how much soever you testify in words 
concerning the great things the Lord hath done for you, testify still 
more in deeds, persuaded that example speaks louder than any 
thing, and will be believed sooner than any other testimony you can 
bear. Thus be ye the " salt of the earth, and the light of the world." 
Yea, " let your light shine before men, that they seeing your good 
works, may glorify your Father, who is in heaven." Now, " may 
the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, throogh the blood of the 
everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do 
his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, 
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever." 
Amen. 



SERMON XIV. 



PREACHED ONT THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF 

MR. ALEXANDER MATHER ; 

ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 1S00, AT THE CHAPEL IN GREAT. 
QUEEN-STREET, AND AT THE NEW CHAPEL, 
CITY-ROAD, LONDON. 

Oh, that my ivords were now written ! Oh, that they were printed 
in a book: That they were graven with an iron-pen, and lead, 
in tlie rock for ever ! For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and 
that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And 
though, after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh 
shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes 
shall behold, and not another ; though my reins be consumed 
within me. Job xix. 23 — 27. 

1. SlJCH is the language in which a holy and eminently useful 
man of God of old professed his faith in the Redeemer, and his 
expectation of eternal life through him, at a time when his heart 
and flesh were failing, and his temporal life, to all appearance, was 
hastening to a final period ! Such is the way in which he obtained 
comfort equal to his day, when all outward comforts failed, and he 
lay oppressed with a complication of external miseries, such as, per- 
haps, never exercised the faith or patience of any other man ! And 

L 1 



274 



(*>N THE DEATH OF 



knowing that mankind in general are exposed to troubles innume- 
rable in the present world, and that there is no support under them 
equal to that which this faith and hope afford ; such is the earnest 
and forcible manner in which he expressed his desire, that this 
should be held forth to all nations and ages. 

2. It is true, when he says, " Oh, that my words were now writ- 
ten! Oh, that they Avere printed in a book! That they were gra- 
ven with an iron pen, and lead, in the rock (or ever!" Some think 
that he speaks with a reference to all his foregoing discourses with 
his friends, which, they suppose, he was so far from disowning or 
being ashamed of, that he was desirous that all ages should know them, 
that they might judge between him and them. But inasmuch as he 
had certainly uttered in the dark hour of trial, some unadvised 
words, which would neither be to his own credit, nor the edifica- 
tion of others, and which had therefore better be forgotten; it is 
much more probable that he spoke thus, not with a reference to his 
discourses in general, but to this famous confession of his faith in 
particular. As if he had said, " If I have heretofore, once and 
again, spoken rashly, I now speak deliberately, and that which I 
desire maybe published to all the world, and preserved for genera- 
tions to come, for the direction and comfort of millions ; and there- 
fore that it may be written, and even printed, that is, drawn out in 
large and legible characters, that he who runs may read, (for what 
ire call printing, is well known to be an invention of modern 
date,) and that it may not be left on loose papers, which might be 
scattered and lost; but put into a hook; nay, and lest that also 
should perish, that it may be engraven, like an inscription on a 
monument, with an iron pen, in lead, or on the rock for ever. Let 
the engraver use all his art to make the writing durable as well as 
legible. 

3. It is well observed by a judicious Annotator, that lead here 
may mean, first, the rvriting-pen, tool, or instrument, which might 
be either iron or lead. For though lead be of itself too soft, yet 
there was an art of tempering it with other metals to such a degree 
of hardness, that it would pierce into a rock ; as they also tem- 
pered brass, so as to make bows and swords of it. Or, secondly, 
it may mean the writing -table, for the ancients, as is well known, 
wrote divers things on lead ; or thirdly, it may be put for the wri- 
ting-ink^ so to speak ; for they were went sometimes, after engra- 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 275 

ving the letters on stone with an iron tool, to fill up the cuts or fur- 
rows made in the stone, with lead, to make the letters or words 
more visible and legible. 

4. "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall 
stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though, after my 
skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." 
Well might Job desire that these words should be written, printed^ 
put into a book, and even engraven on the rock for ever ! For in 
all his coherences with his friends, we do not find any words so 
important. 

5. They may be considered, first, as containing the reason of 
his great confidence ic the goodness of his cause; and of his wil- 
lingness to have the matter depending between him and his friends, 
published and submitted to any trial. He had a living and power- 
ful Redeemer to plead his cause, and vindicate his person from al! 
their censures, and to give sentence for him. Secondly, they con- 
tain a confession of his faith and hope. " His friends," says an 
eminent divine, "had reproached him as a hypocrite, and con- 
temned him as a wicked man ; but he appeals to his creed," — and 
I add, to his experience of the contents of it, " to his hope, and 
to the testimony of his own conscience, which not only acquitted 
him from reigning sin, but comforted him with the expectation of a 
blessed resurrection/* As if he had said, " Do you call me a 
hypocrite, and I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that in my 
flesh I shall see God!" Surely, these are not the words of one that 
has a devil, or is a hypocrite. Thirdly, these words aJso signify 
what was his chief support and consolation under his most severe 
and unparalleled trials and afflictions. He knew that his Redeemer 
lived, and that in his flesh he should see God, and this supported 
him, and kept his head above water. 

6. Inasmuch as he was, in all respects, a blameless character, 
and, as appears from divers parts of the book, and especially from 
chap. xxxi. most eminent for good works; inasmuch as God himself 
had pronounced him a perfect and upright man, and had declared, 
that there was none like him in all the earth. Some may wonder 
why he did not look to his well-spent life for comfort and support in 
this trying hour; why he speaks only of a Redeemer, and grounds 
his whole expectation of future felicity on an acquaintance with 
him. But you, my brethren, who know the depravity of human. 



.2-76 



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nature, man's sinfulness and guilt, and the insufficiency of his own 
righteousness to recommend him to God, will not be surprised at this, 
Nor will you wonder when I tell you, that that eminent saint of 
God, and laborious servant of the Lord Jesus, on the occasion of 
whose death I now address you, when, in the awful period of 
nature's dissolution, he was passing through the watery flood, that 
divides this mortal from the immortal state, found no support for his 
confidence or hope, in his protracted life of unwearied labours, nor 
in the success wherewith God had crowned them, any more than in 
his holiness, but fixed his foot only on the redemption which is in 
Christ Jesus. Of this redemption he spoke most feelingly and 
pathetically, the last time I was favoured with an interview with 
him, (which was a few days after his arrival at York, in the begin- 
ning of July last,) and expressed a wish that it should be held forth, 
more than ever, in our discourses to the people, as the one founda- 
tion of their confidence and hope. This circumstance, I trust, will 
plead my excuse for choosing to address you on so extraordinarily 
mournful an occasion from so common a subject. 

7. But to return to the case of Job. When in the midst of the 
calamities that oppressed him, he expressed himself in the language 
of my text, it is as if he had said, " although I have no knowledge, 
confidence, or hope of being restored to health, or to prosperity in 
this life, (which, it is plain, from divers parts of this book he had 
not,) yet one thing I know, which is much more important and com- 
fortable, and therein I rejoice, yea, and I will rejoice : although I am 
now a dying man, and in a desperate condition as to this world, yet, 
< — "I know that my Redeemer liveth ; — and that in my flesh I shall 
see God ; — w 7 hom I shall see for myself, and not for another, and 
mine eyes shall behold him, although my frail body is going to dust, 
and my reins are consumed within me." Happy Job, — although 
stript of his earthly all, and reduced to the very last and lowest 
state of human misery! Although robbed of all his flocks and 
herds, and earthly possessions, and brought to eutire beggary ! 
although deprived of all his children, and cut off from all hope of a 
posterity ; although forsaken, or rather persecuted by all his friends 
and even by his own wife; although reduced to a perfect skeleton, 
as to his body, and covered all over with sores and scabs, so that he 
takes a potsherd to scrape himself withai ; although assaulted by 
Satan, and that by divine permission, and even by all the powers of 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 277 

darkness, and : for a time, and for wise reasons, left in their hands: 
yet, ii) the midst of all, he is enabled to cast anchor within the vail, 
and is in a condition to be envied, rather than pitied : 

" You see the man; you see his hold on heaven! 
Heaven waits not the last moment ; owns her friends 
On this side death ; and points them out to men : 
A silent lecture, but of sovereign power! 
To vice confusion 3 and to virtue peace." 

8. My brethren, the time is approaching when we shall all need 
this support, and shall be most wretched if we have it not. If we 
should escape such troubles as came on Job for his trial ; if we 
should not live to see ourselves stript of all our earthly possessions, 
and reduced to beggary ; deprived of all our offspring, and writ- 
ten childless ; forsaken or persecuted by all our friends, and emacia- 
ted with sickness, or tortured with pain in every part of our bodies; 
yet dust we are, and unto dust we also must return. 



" Since our first parents 1 fall, 
Inevitable death descends on all 
A portion none of human race can miss ; 
But that which makes it sweet or bitter, 
The fear of misery, or certain hope of bliss 



ISS. ) 



9. And the time, we must recollect, which will put a period to 
our life on earth, and to all the desires and delights, cares and 
pursuits of it, is at no great distance. Though appearing, perhaps, 
afar off, it will be upon us before we are well aware. Yes! 

" That hour, so late, is nimble in approach, 
And, like a post, comes on in full career : 
How swift the shuttle flies that weaves thy shroud! 
Where is the fable of thy former years ? 
Thrown down the gulf of time ; as far from thee 
As they had ne'er been thine. The day in hand, 
Like a bird struggling to get loose, is going ; — 
'Tis scarce possessed, so suddenly 'tis gone ; 
And each swift moment fled, is death advanc'd 
By strides as swift : eternity is all. 
But whose eternity ? Who triumphs there ? 
Bathing for ever in the font of bliss! 
For ever basking in the deity !" 



278 



ON THE DEATH ©F 



My brethren, who? Your conscience shall reply. Oh wha: 
would you give then for such confidence and hope as this of Job ? 
Confidence and hope, which, blessed be God, our departed friend 
and brother, and your late pastor, had; and which you also may 
have. He, like Job, and in similar language, in the midst of much 
affliction and pain, his face pale, his body emaciated, and his 
strength gone, declared from time to time, in the presence of those 
about him, his faith in the Redeemer, and his confident expectation 
of future felicity through him. While his way, like that of Job, was 
fenced up, and his hope, as to the present life, was removed like a tree ; 
yet his spirit was kept from fainting, while he trusted, not in his 
protracted life of innocence, of labours, or of sufferings, but in his living 
Redeemer, and " looked for the resurrection of the dead, and the life 
of the tforld to come/' Thus the great apostle of the Gentiles, when 
the time of his departure was at hand, notwithstanding his immense 
labours and sufferings, and the success wherewith God had crown- 
ed his efforts to disciple nations, placed his whole confidence on 
the same foundation, and said, w I know in whom I have believed, 
and he will keep what I commit unto him safe unto that day. To 
me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." May the Lord give us 
the like support in the like circumstances ! But what is this sup- 
port ? What is implied in this confession and testimony ? 

I. What is meant here by a Redeemer, and how does it appear 
that we need, and that we have a Redeemer ? 

II. What is that knowledge that Job had, and which, as I shall 
show you. we may have of this Redeemer, and of a title to future 
felicity and glory with him. 

III. Let us observe the confidence and comfort which this know- 
ledge affords in a time of affliction and trial, and at a dying hour. 

I. We are to inquire, What is meant by a Redeemer here, and 
how it appears that we need and that we have a Redeemer ? 

1. On this point, I must observe that the Hebrew word bfcti, 
tiere reudered Redeemer, was primarily used of the nearest kin»- 
nrtan, to whom under the law of Moses, and according to ancient 
custom, the right of redemption belonged by virtue of kindred or 
relationship. If my hearers will be at the pains to read the 3d 



MR, ALEXANDER MATHER. 



279 



and 4th chapters of the book of Ruth, they will be fully satisfied 
on this head. Aad they may learn partly from these chapters, and 
partly from sundry passages of the books of Moses, and of other 
books of the Old Testament, that this kinsman's office was four- 
fold. 1st. If his relation had sold or mortgaged his estate, and 
was now dead, it was his kinsman's office to redeem, if he were 
able, by a price paid, the sold or mortgaged inheritance of his 
deceased relative. " If thy brother be Avaxen poor, (says Moses, 
Lev. xxv. 25.) and have sold away his possession, and if any of 
his km come to redeem it, then shall he redeem what his brother 
sold." 2. If his relation were not dead, but in a state of slavery 
or bondage, it was his duty to redeem him out of this state by 
price or by power, Psalm Ixxiv. 2. and Isaiah xlviii. 20. 3. If 
his relation's adversary had waylaid and slain him, it belonged to 
him to avenge his death, whence he was called the avenger of 
blood, Numb. xxxv. 12. And, 4. If this kinsman's relative had 
died without issue, it was his place to preserve his name and 
honour, by marrying his widow, and raising him up seed, Deut. 
xxv. 5. Now, in divers respects similar to these, aud admirably 
illustrated by them, we all need redemption. 

2. Our inheritance, I mean that which God gave man at his 
first creation, has been forfeited and lost. This was threefold ; 
1st. The inheritance of the soul, the favour of God, his image, and 
communion with him, an inheritance of inestimable value, and 
yielding the purest and most satisfying enjoyment. Now this, it 
is well known, our first parents forfeited and lost for themselves and 
for all their descendants. " By nature," as St. Paul assures us, 
" we are all children of wrath." We have been stripped of the 
image of God, and the image of the beast and of the devil appears 
upon us. And being alienated from the life of God, through the 
ignorance which is in us, we are shut out from intercourse and 
fellowship with him, and left dead in trespasses and sins. 2. The 
inheritance of the body has been forfeited and lost also. When 
God created man, he save him the garden of Eden, earth, and all 
the blessings of this temporal life, as his inheritance, considered as 
dwelling in an animal body. But man by the fall, having forfeited 
these, was turned out of paradise, the earth was cursed to him 5 
and his short life upon it was rendered a scene of toil, vanity, 
and dissatisfaction ; and, by and by, death was commissioned to 



280 



ON THE DEATH OF 



put him out of possession of all, and give him back to the dust out 
of which he was taken. 3. God, in all probability had provided 
for his new-made and highly-favoured creature, man, a belter 
world thau this, even in its paradisiacal state. He had intended, 
had man continued in his innocency and allegiance to his Maker, 
after a proper time of trial, to have translated him, as he after- 
wards translated Enoch and Elijah, to the heavenly state, without 
obliging him to taste of death. In that case, man would not have 
been unclothed, as St. Paul's phrase is, but clothed upon, that the 
earthly and natural, might have been swallowed up of the hea- 
venly and spiritual body. But this is also lost. So far from being 
entitled to eternal li e by nature, as we have sinned, and come 
short of the glory of God, we deserve eternal death, and are, in 
fact, obnoxious to it. For the wages, the proper wages of sin, 
that which is strictly deserved by it, and due to it, is death, 
whereas eternal life is the gift, the unmerited gift of God, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. So that our first parents forfeited all for 
themselves, and for their posterity, and we are reduced to such a 
state of poverty, as to have absolutely no inheritance left for soul 
or body, in this world or another. 

3. This is not all. We ourselves are, by nature, in a state of 
bondage and slavery. Satan, whom St. Paul terms the prince of 
the power of the air, probably because he and his angels, by 
divine permission, range in the air, and fly from place to place, in 
pursuit of their pernicious purpose of corrupting and destroying 
mankind ; he, I say, worketh, evepyei, worketh with energy, with 
uncontrolled power and force, in the children of disobedience, m 
all that disbelieve and disobey the gospel. He is also termed by 
the same apostle, the god of this world, and it is evident, makes 
daily use of the things as well as persons of this world, who 
are his children, to extend and establish his empire over mankind. 
Hence, we are by nature in bondage to this present evil world; 
and only they that are redeemed by Christ, and born of God, as 
Ave learn, Gal. i. 4. and 1 John v. 3. are enabled to overcome it, 
and shake otF its yoke. And then the flesh is another of those 
lords which naturally tyrannize over us. For while we are 
Unchanged, and till «* the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus 
set us free, the law in our members wars against the law of our 
minds, and leads us captive to the law of sin which is in our mem- 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 28i 

bers." The consequence of which is, that from day to day, we, 
more or less, c dmmit sin ; and. our Lord being witness, he that 
committeth sin is the servant, <5Wos, the slave of sin, that is, he is 
in a state of bondage and slavery to it. Nor is there one child of 
fallen Adam, who is, by nature, exempt from this bondage. The 
scripture, says the Apostle, hath concluded all, that is, hath declared 
that all are concluded under sin, under its guiit, under its power, 
and under its awfully destructive consequences. 

4. Our departed friend and brother, Mather, when he was en- 
lightened a little by the grace of God, which was about the twentieth 
year of his age, and especially when he began in good earnest to 
seek salvation, was soon made deeply sensible of this spiritual 
bondage. And while, as he tells us in the short account he has 
given of his life, printed iu the third volume of the Arrainian 
Magazine, his convictions respecting it increased day by day, and 
he felt his bones, as it were filled with a sore disease ; his distress 
became so great that his appetite was gone, sleep der^rted from 
him, and tears were Ws meat day and night. But blessed be God, 
he obtained deliverance, as we all may also do. 

5. It will not be doubted, I think, by any here present, but that 
we need redemption in the two other respects also which I have 
mentioned. This, indeed, is implied iu what I have already ad- 
vanced. Our grand adversary, the devil, called fox* this very 
reason Apollyon, or the Destroyer, has way laid and slain us, and 
has even obtained the power of death, under which he hath con- 
trived to bring all mankind, and it is meet and right, and necessary, 
in order to our final deliverance, that he should be destroyed ia 
his turn, and that the murder of our souls should be avenged upon 
him. And as our honour, viz. the honour of our rational and im- 
mortal nature of resembling God, and being acknowledged as his 
sons and daughters, together with our very persons and names, are 
liable to be lost, and to perish for ever from the creation of God ; it 
is certain, that in this respect also, we need redemption. 

6. It appears, therefore, that man wants a Redeemer in every 
sense in which that word is taken iu the holy scriptures. But is 
there any Redeemer provided for him ? Many, it is intimated, 
(Luke, ii. 38.) looked for redemption in Jerusalem? Did they 
obtain what they looked for, or did they look in vain ? This leads 
me to observe, that although it might be inferred from the goodne^ 

M m 



282 



ON THE DEATH OF 



of God, apparent in the works of creation, in the dispensations of 
providence, and in all the blessings of this life, that our Creator, 
Preserver, and Benefactor, would also be our Redeemer ; and that 
He, whom we had made our enemy, would, perhaps, find out some 
way of reconciling us to himself, that he might become our friend ; yet, 
that we really have a Redeemer can only be learned with certainty 
by supernatural revelation. Thus, it is evident, Job knew it. The 
promise made to Adam of asm/ from the woman that should bruise 
the serpents head ; and that made to Abraham respecting all the 
nations of the world being blessed in his seed) had been handed 
down from father to son, and from age to age, and directed and 
supported by these promises ; Job, like the rest of the patriarchs, 
conducted himself as? a stranger and pilgrim on earth, and declared 
plainly that he sought a better country than any here, even an 
heavenly one. Therefore God was not ashamed to be called his 
God, having provided for him a city. Jacob spoke of this Redeemer 
when dying ; I not only mean when he foretold that Shiloh should 
come, and that to him the gathering of the people should be; and 
when, stopping short in the midst of the paternal and patriarchal 
blessings, which he was divinely inspired to pronounce on the tribes 
that descended on him, he abruptly cried out, I have waited for 
thy salvation, O Lord! But more especially when he blessed 
the sons of Joseph, and prayed to this Redeemer for them. God, 
(said he, Gen. xlviii. 15. 16.) before whom my fathers, Abraham 
and Isaac, did walk, the God who fed me all my life long unto this 
day f the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. 
Well might he thus address him, for he had seen him in a vision at 
Bethel, and, in a time of great trouble, had wrestled with him, and 
prevailed, for a great blessing. Hosea alludes to both these events, 
ch. xii. 3. when he says, " He took his brother by the heel, in the 
womb, and by his strength he had power with God : Yea, he had 
power over the angel and prevailed : He wept and made supplica- 
tion unto him :" viz. when in distress* through fear of his brother 
Esau. "He found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; even 
Jehovah, God of Hosts; Jehovah is his memorial." Moses was 
commissioned to speak still more clearly of this Redeemer, under the 
character of a prophet that should arise like unto him, and indeed 
much superior to him, whom the people were to hear and obey, on 
peril of utter destruction. This is that Angel-Jehovah, that Angel 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 283 

or messenger of the divine presence who was with the church in 
the wilderness, of whom Isaiah speaks thus, (ch. lxiii. 9.) " In all 
their affliction he was afflicted : The angel of his presence saved 
them. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them ; and he bare 
them, and carried them all the days of old." Of him the Father 
says, (Exod. xxxiii. 20, 22.) <* Behold, I send mine angel — that is, 
my Word, or Son, who is my Messenger, — to keep thee in the way — 
provoke him not,— for my name is in him.''* And in Isaiah, lix. 20. 
his coming in the flesh is foretold. " The Redeemer shall come to 
Ziou, and to those that turn from transgression in Jacob :" as also 
Mai. iii. 1. where he is termed the Angel or Messenger of the 
covenant, and that Lord whom the pious Jews sought, and in the 
expectation of whose coming they greatly delighted. 

7. I do not mean by this, but thafthe God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ is originally and primarily our Redeemer. He is the 
Fountain of redemption, as he is also of creation and preservation : 
He, I know, is that Lord God of Israel spoken of, Luke i. 68, who 
hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of 
salvation for them in the house of his servant David." But the 
Son of God, the Word made flesh, is our immediate and actual 
Redeemer. He has the best right to that appellation, as all the laws, 
of the bm, or redeemer agree to, and are fulfilled in him. For 
1st, he is our near kinsman. Inasmuch as we were partakers of 
flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same. He took on 
him, not the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham, and tvas 
made in all things, sin excepted, like to us ; whom he therefore 
(Heb. ii. 12.) properly terms his brethren, sayiugto his Father, " I 
will declare thy name unto my brethren : In the midst of the church 
will I sing praise unto thee." Now it is by virtue of this, I mean 
by his being our near kinsman, that he has the right of redemption, 
and redeems us by his blood, even by the blood of our nature 
which he assumed. " Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, 
he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not : But a body hast 
thou prepared me. Lo ! I come to do thy will, O God 1" " By 
the which will we are sanctified," that is, ransomed and consecrated 
to God " by the offering of the body of Christ, once for all." 
Hence, we are said to " have redemption in his blood," Eph. i. 7. 
Nor is there redemption or salvation in any other, " for there is no 
name (Acts iv. 12.) given under heaven among men whereby ye 



284 



ON THE DEATH OF 



can be saved, but his name. He alone had been able to find and 
lay down a sufficient ransom, or price of redemption, for the human 
race, because his life alone, which was perfectly innocent and holy, 
and of inconceivable dignity, through his miraculous conception, 
his astonishing powers, even as man, and the close and indissoluble 
union of the human nature with the divine, io his mysterious person ; 
his life alone, I say, was worth the forfeited and eternal lives of all 
men. 

8. But 2diy, he fulfils all the offices of a kinsman or redeemer. 
Have we forfeited and lost our inheritance, the whole of that patri- 
mony, which was given to man at his first creation ? He redeems 
it, procures again for us the favour and image of God, and commu- 
nion with him, the inheritance of the soul, a restoration to life, a 
better life thau we lost, the portion of the body, as also paradise, 
heaven, and everlasting life and glory, the inheritance of both soul 
and body, in an eternal state." The way into the holiest of all" 
was indeed not laid open, much less rt made manifest, while the first 
tabernacle was yet standing, which was a figure for the time then 
present ; but Christ being come, a high priest of good things to come, 
by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with'hands, that 
is to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of bulls and 
goats, but by his own blood ; he entered in, once for all, inio the 
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. And for 
this cause he is the mediator of the new covenant, that by means of 
death, for the redemption of the trausgressious which were under 
the first covenant, they who are called might receive the promise 
of an eternal inheritance. 

9. Were we ourselves in a state of bondage and slavery ? He 
takes the prey from the mighty, and dispossesses the unjust possessor. 
He " redeems us from this present evil world," and causes us to 
know by experience, that he who i( is born of God overcometh the 
world." "The law of the spirit of life," which is in him, "makes 
us free" from the dominion of the " law in our members,'* which 
warred against the law of our mind, and led us captive to the law of 
sin. Continuing in his word, and thereby becoming his disciples 
indeed, we " know the truth, and the truth makes us free," even free 
from the power of sin, " that being servants of God, we may bring 
forth fruit unto holiness, that the end may be eternal life." Thus is 
the end answered for which < ; in the fulness of time he was sent forth,*' 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 285 

and for which he gave himself unto bhame, pain, and death. We are 
redeemed so as to have the adoption of children, Gal. iv. 4 ; yea, 
" redeemed from all iniquity, from its powtr as well as from its guilt, 
and purified unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." 

10. Nay, he " delivers those, who through fear of death, were 
all their life long subject to bondage;" and redeeming us from death 
by dying, we have, at last, through him the public manifestation and 
display of our adoption, even the redemption of our body from the 
grave. Then he will show himself an avenger oj bloody and will 
avenge our death on the grand adversary of our souls. For 
" through death," expiating sin, and obtaining for us eternal redemp- 
tion, " he destroys him that has the power of death, that is, the devil." 
Even now, while Satan as a strong man armed, keeps his house, 
and his goods are in peace, the Redeemer of Israel comes upon him, 
and takes from him the armour of unbelief and sin, wherein he 
trusted, and divides the spoil ; even now he holds him in chains of 
darkness, till the judgment of the great day !" and in that day will 
cause to return on his own head, all the mischief he has done to 
God's rational and immortal creation. For at that day, — 

" Not man alone : the foe of God and man, 
From his dark den, blaspheming-, drags his chain, 
And rears his brazen front, with thunder scar'd 
As meteors in a stormy sky, how roll 
His baleful eyes. He curses whom he dreadsj 
And deems it the first moment of his fall." 

And then also our Kinsman Redeemer, who had before restored our 
obliterated names, recording them in the book of life, restores also 
our persons, both in body and soul, and raises us to much greater 
dignity than that from which we fell. 

11. Similar to this, I believe, were the views which our departed 
friend and brother, whose death we are now endeavouring to im- 
prove, had of this redeemer of lost mankind, during the whole course 
of his ministry, and such were the benefits he had received, or 
expected to receive, from his redemption. And during his last sick- 
ness, his views seemed to be greatly enlarged on this subject, and 
rendered much more clear and affecting, than at any former period 
of his life. " All I have done (said he to Mr. Pawson and me, in 
the beginning of July last) is nothing ; it is not w orth mentioning, I 



286 



ON THE DEATH OF 



have no foundation of hope or confidence whatever, but the media- 
tion of the Son of God. O my dear friends, I never saw the 
blessed Redeemer of mankind in so amiable a light as I now do. 
Never did I see so clearly, or feel so deeply my need of him, 
and that I am wholly indebted to his sacrifice and intercession, for 
theacceptaoce of my person, and of my poor services. What would 
become of me were it not for this Redeemer. 

II. This leads mc to the second point, the saving knowledge of 
this Redeemer, of an interest in him, and of a title to eternal felicity 
through him. 

I. This knowledge Job had, although under a comparatively 
dark and imperfect dispensation ; I know, says he, that my Redeemer 
liveth. He knew by the revelation which God condescended to 
make to holy men, in those patriarchal ages, that he, who was to be 
the seed of the woman, and the seed of Abraham, and therefore his 
kinsman and Redeemer, then lived. He knew, therefore, his pre- 
existence and divinity, that he was then the living one, who had life 
in himself, and was able to communicate life to others. He knew 
that he should stand at the latter day upon the earth or the dust, as 
the Hebrew is. By the latter day, the patriarchs and prophets 
meant the days of the Messiah. Job here, therefore, professes his 
faith in the incarnation of the Messiah ; that he should stand upon 
the earth or dust, viz. in a human body; that although he was God, 
he should be dust, " should lay his glory by, — should wrap him in 
our clay." He probably, too, spoke of his resurrection from the 
dead. Though dead and buried, he shall stand upon the dust, 
rising up out of it. His glorious coming may be also here foretold. 
Enoch, long before Job, had prophesied, saying, "Behold the Lord 
cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon 
all." And the expression, in the latter day he shall stand upon 
the earth, is pretty similar to that of Zech. chap. xiv. 1. 4. "the 
Lord, my God shall come, and all the saints with thee, and his feet 
shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives." This same Jesus," 
said the angels, " that is taken up from you into heaven, shall so 
come, as you have seen him go into heaven." Some think too, that 
his final victory over all his and his people's enemies is foretold. 
He shall stand upon the dust, upon his enemies, who shall be pros- 
trate before him, and as dust beneath his feet ; like a mighty con- 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 237 

queror on the field of battle, he shall keep the field when his 
enemies are all routed and slain, and he shall tread them down as 
the dust. " He shall put down all rule, and all authority, and all 
power. For he shall reign till he shall put all enemies under his 
feet;" even death itself the last enemy that shall be destroyed, 
according to the prediction of the prophet. He will swallow np 
death in victory. O death, I will be thy plague; O grave, I 
will be thy destruction ?" Our resurrection, therefore, is also here 
foretold. Some indeed render the Hebrew, the latter man, that is, 
the resurrection body shall rise up out of the dust and stand above 
it ; although the former man, our present body is sown in corrup- 
tion and falls into dust; that is, "as we have born the image of the 
earthly," and by various infirmities, afflictions, and pains, return to 
d Ui. j with the first, " so shall we bear the image of the heavenly," 
shall rise up out of the dust, stand above it, and put on immortality 
with the second Adam. 

2. But what kind of knowledge was this which Job had of the 
Redeemer ? was it merely a historical or speculative knowledge ? 
Did it imply no more than knowing that there is a Redeemer, who 
shall stand in the latter day upon the earth ? Yes, my brethren, 
it implied much more. It was a supernatural, spiritual, and 
experimental knowledge of him ; such a knowledge as the Lord 
Jesus spoke of, Matt. xi. 27. when he said, " JNo man knoweth 
the Son, but the Father, and neither knoweth any man the Father, 
save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him." It is such 
a knowledge as he promised, John xvi. 13, 14, saying. " The Spi- 
rit of truth shall glorify me : He shall receive of mine, and show 
them to you !" This knowledge St. Paul had received himself, 
for he assures us, that it had pleased God to reveal his Son in him, 
and this knowledge his fellow- apostles, and the first messengers of 
Christ had received, for " He that at first commanded light to 
shine out of darkness, had shined into their hearts, to give the 
knowledge of the glory of God in the face, or person of Christ 
Jesus." Nay, and this knowledge all the true disciples of Jesus 
Christ had received in the first ages of Christianity, and do still 
receive, in every age; for, " I know my sheep," says Jesus, " and 
am known of mine." This knowledge of the Redeemer, is no 
other than that acquaintance with him, which is recommended in 
this very book of Job, where it is said, " Acquaint now thyself 



288 



ON THE DEATH OF 



with him, and be at peace ; thereby good shall come unto thee." 
And it differs, as widely from knowing ihat there is a Redeemer, 
as the being acquainted with the king, differs rom knowing that 
there is a king. Accordingly, Job's words may be, and are ren- 
dered by many learned men, I know my living Redeemer, that is, 
I am acquainted with him. Now this knowledge is of such 
importance in religion, that there neither is nor can be any religion 
without it. By it we are justified, for it is the foundation and 
source of justifying faith, according to Isaiah liii, 1 i. By his know- 
ledge, that is, by their being brought to know him, shall my righte- 
ous servant justify many. By it we are sanctified; for love to 
him, aud obedience to his will, flow entirely from it, as St. John 
testifies, 1 epistle, chap. iv. 7, &c. And by it we are glorified ; 
for ' k It is life eternal to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, 
whom he hath sent." Now, when we have this knowledge, we 
can call him our Redeemer. We can say, each one for ourselves, 
I know my living Redeemer, or I know that my Redeemer liveth. 
It is true, he is in a sense, the Redeemer of all, having assumed 
our common nature, and given himself a ransom for all, and his 
salvation being free for all : but he must be known by the spiritual 
aud supernatural revelation of the Holy Ghost ; or, according to 
Jeremiah's words, " God must give us a heart to know him;" or, 
in St. John's language; "must give us an understanding to know 
him that is true, that we may be in him that is true, even in God's 
Son Jesus Christ," according to our Lord's promise, John xiv. 20. 
"In that day," when you receive the Spirit of truth, " ye shall 
know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you." 
Then, having believed in Christ with a faith of the operation of 
God, we can testify with the apostle, " that Christ liveth in us, 
and that the life we live in the flesh, is by faith in the Son of God, 
who hath loved us, and given himself for us." 

4. This knowledge of the Redeemer, and of redemption in and 
through him, our departed friend received, the first time he*?ver 
saw or heard Mr. Wesley, which was April 14, 1754. Mr. Wes- 
ley had just recovered from a consumption which had threatened 
his life ; and on the preceding day had returned from Bristol Hot- 
Wells. The next day, being Easter-day, he preached in the cha- 
pel in West-Street, Seven Dials, and under the sermon then deli- 
vered, God brought Mr. Mather to a saving acquaintance with the 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 



289 



^ Redeemer, and set his soul at liberty from all slavish and torment- 
ing fear, removing his sins as far from him as the east is from the 
west. The change wrought in his soul was even manifest in his 
countenance. His load of guilt and distress was gone : he could 
praise a pardoning God ; and instead of fear and anguish of spirit, 
he was put in possession of a peace that passeth understanding. 
But the knowledge which Job had of this Redeemer, inspired him 
with a lively and joyful hope of immortality, and that both for 
soul and body, a hope which afforded support and comfort when 
nothing else could. 

III. This is the third and last particular to which I was to call 
your attention. <l Although after my skin," says he, " worms 
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." 

1. After my skin, which is already wasted and gone. They 
destroy, so it is in the Hebrew, (that is, they that are appointed to 
destroy it, the grave and the worms in it, chap. xvii. 14.) this body, 
the word body is not in the original : — This, this skeleton, this 
shadow, chap, xxvii. 7. — This, that I lay my hand upon; like our 
departed friend, the last time I saw him, putting his hand on his 
weak and withered limbs; and saying, you see how I am shrunk, 
and how my flesh is wasted and gone, — this, that you see, call it 
what you please, I expect that it will very shortly be a feast for 
worms, and will turn to dust in the grave. Yet out of my Jlesh } 
as the original may be rendered, or in the state of separate spirits, 
1 shall see God. For the spirit of man, in a state of separation 
from the body, has eyes, wherewith to see God, although not eyes 
of flesh. It is pleasing to observe, that even the Old Testament 
saints in their twilight dispensation, before "life and immortality 
were brought to light (as they have been) by the gospel," expected 
after death, to see and be happy with God and their Redeemer in 
the separate state. " As for me," says the Psalmist, Psal. xvii. 15. 
" I shall behold thy face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied when 
I awake with thy likeness." " Thou shalt guide me by thy coun- 
sel," says Asaph, Psalm lxxiii. 24, 25. " and afterwards receive 
me to glory : My heart and my flesh faileth, but thou art the 
strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." " The dust shall 
return to the earth as it was," says Solomon, Eccles. xvii. 7. 
"and the spirit to God who gave it." "He the righteous mab 

K n 



£90 



ON THE DEATH OF 



that perisheth, while no man layeth it to heart," says Isaiah, 
chap. lvri. 1, 2. ** and who is taken away from the evil to come, shall 
enter into peace, even while his body rests on its bed, each ono 
walking in his uprightness." Blessed be God, under the New 
Testament dispensation we have clearer light, and fuller assurance. 
We know, on the testimony of Jesus, that even 4i they that kill the 
body, cannot kill the soul:" that those disciples of his that can 
say, To me lo live is Christ, will find that to them to die will be 
gain: that when they are absent from the body, they shall be pre- 
sent with the Lord: and as soon as they depart, they shall be with 
Christ in paradise, as sure as Jesus received the penitent thief 
thither, 

2. But it is probable that Job also expected, that in his flesK he 
should see God. He, with the other enlightened believers, under 
the Old Testament dispensation, looked tor the resurrection of the 
body also, which expectation they might deduce from some parti- 
cular revelation, made to them in those ages, or from some such 
general declarations as were delivered by God to Moses at the 
bush, when he styles himself the God of Abraham, and of other 
holy men that were now dead, implying, as our Lord teaches, that 
they were not so dead, even with respect to their bodies, but that 
they should live again. For God is not the God of the finally 
dead ; but only of the living. But from whatever source they derived 
this hope of a resurrection of the body, it is plain they entertained 
it. " All the days of my appointed time," says Job, <* will I wait, 
till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee. 
Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands." " Thy dead 
men shall live," says Isaiah to the church of God, " together with 
my dead body shall they arise. Awake, and sing, ye that dwell 
in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall 
east out the dead." " Many of them that sleep in the dust of the 
earth,''' says Daniel, " shall awake, some to everlasting life, and 
gome, to shame and everlasting coutempt." It is true, Daniel might, 
rpeak this of those saints that should rise at, or immediately after, 
the time of Christ's resurrection, For his language is pretty similar 
to that of the evangelist when he relates that fact.* Or he may 
refer to those martyrs who shall rise at the beginning of the mjHen- 



* See Matth. xxvi. 52, 53. 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 291 

aium, or at the time of the restoration of the Jews. But our 
blessea Lord, the Word made- fleshy hath given us more light and 
greater assurance on this subject, than they could have in that 
obscure dispensation ; and we know, on his testsmony, " That all 
that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth 5 
they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that 
have done evil to the resurrection of damnation." For, ^ as iu 
Adam all die, so in Christ," in this sense at least, " shall all," with- 
out exception, " be made alive." 

3. But when the inspired penmen speak on this subject, they 
generally confine themselves to the resurrection of the righteous : 
they seldom notice that of the wicked. Therefore, when the 
question is, "How are the dead raised up, and with what bodies 
do they come ?" The answer is given in terms that are only appli- 
cable to the bodies of the saints. " The body is sown in corrup- 
tion," hastening to dissolution and decay; " it is raised inincorrup- 
tion," without any principle of dissolution or decay in it. "It is 
sown in weakness," sluggish and dead matter, absolutely helpless; 
" it is raised in power," possessed of activity and force to us quite 
inconceivable like that of lightning or of the electric fluid. " It 
is sown in dishonour," iu the lowest disgrace to which human 
nature can be reduced, in a state shocking to behold, and loath- 
some to all the senses : " it is raised in glory," conformed to the 
glorious body of Christ, and in glory, like that in which Christ 
appeared, when, being transfigured on the mount, his countenance 
shone as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light ; for 44 The 
righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their 
Father." " It is sown a natural (or animal) body," advancing 
by imperceptible degrees, with the aid of food, air, exercise, and 
rest, to a state of maturity, and then gradually declining, and by 
various infirmities and afflictions, brought back to its first princi- 
ples. " It is raised a spiritual body," mature and perfect at once ; 
and of such refined matter as to need no aid from food or sleep, 
or any creature exterior to itself. O most glorious and blessed 
state, to which we may all be advanced ! Who would not desire, 
and even pant after it ! Who would not long for this immortality, 
this consummation of our bliss, when we shall see God, not in the 
glass of his works, or by faith, as we see him here ; but intuitively, 
and face to face, as a man beholds his friend. " In my flesh," says 



292 



ON THE DEATH OF 



Job, " I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself and not lor 
another, and mine eyes shall behold him." 

4. It is justly observed by Archbishop Tillotson, that the know- 
ledge which we shall have of God in a future world, is termed 
vision or sight, " because of its excellency and dignity, its largeness 
and comprehension, its spirituality and quickness, its evidence and 
certainty" Undoubtedly our sight is the most excellent and com- 
prehensive of all our senses, and the information which we obtain, 
through this medium, is in general more evident and certain, and 
received in a more quick and spiritual manner than that which is 
communicated by the other senses. And the knowledge which we 
shall then have of God, will as far exceed any that we can attain 
of him in this world, as the knowledge of an object which we receive 
by sight, exceeds that which we have by feeling, or by the exer- 
cise of any other inferior sense. 

5. And certainly Ave need not wonder that this knowledge or vi» 
sion of God, should be represented as the consummation of the hap- 
piness of the saints. For, 1st, in the very nature of things, such 
knowledge of a being infinitely perfect and amiable, must be infi- 
nitely charming to the ratioaal and immortal mind. We never see 
perfection and beauty but we are delighted. What must we be 
then, when we contemplate infinite beauty and perfection? And 
then, 2dly, To see that the infinite Jehovah, who fills immensity, 
and inhabits eternity, and all whose attributes are boundless and 
everlasting, loves us infinitely, and will employ his unsearchable 
wisdom, power, and goodness, to all eternity, to render us as happy 
and as glorious as our nature and state can admit, '-^surely this 
must be a source of unspeakable and constant consolation to us in- 
deed ; yea, of rapture and ecstacy inexpressible ! So that this ac- 
count of the future happiness of the saints is, at once, perfectly ra- 
tional and noble, and such as commends itself to every intelligent 
mind the moment it is apprehended. And sure I am it is .as far above 
any thing expressed or conceived, even by the wisest heathen phi- 
losophers, when they speak of the happiness of a future life, as the 
heaven is above the earth, or the rational soul above the ani- 
mal body. There will, indeed, be many other sources of felicity 
to the righteous in another, world; but this is the chief, and is con- 
tinually represented as such in the sacred scriptures. " Blessed 
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."' " They shall see 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 293 

his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads." " When he 
shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." 

6. Now the ground on which Job expected this honour and fe^ 
licity, and on which we must also look for it, if we would not look 
in vain, has this day been laid before you, and must not be forgot- 
ten. You have heard that it is threefold. 1. The Redeemer ; the 
Word made fiesh; our kinsmau and brother, who knows and loves 
his people, his brethren, and is able to save them to the uttermost, 
having assumed their nature, expiated their sins, and ever living to 
make intercession for them. 2. The knowledge, the spiritual and 
experimental knowledge of this Redeemer, and of an interest in 
him, 3. The being hereby redeemed, that is, not only purchased, 
but rescued out of the hands of our spiritual enemies, justified, 
adopted, regenerated, and constituted heirs of, and made meet for, 
this glory. This was the foundation on which our deceased friend, 
and your late minister, like Job, St. Paul, and all others of the 
Lord's people, of every nation and age, built his confidence to- 
wards God, and his hope of a blessed immortality; and in his 
greatest extremity, he found it sufficient to support his expectations, 
as I pray to God we may, when in similar circumstances. 

7. As the account which he gave of himself twenty years ago, con- 
tained in the third volume of the Magaziue, published in 1780, un- 
doubtedly is in the hands of many of you, it will not be necessary 
that I should say much concerning the former part of his life. It 
will be sufficient to observe two or three particulars, for the infor- 
mation of such as have not seen that accouut. He Avas born, he 
tells us, at Brechin, in Scotland, in February, 1733. His parents 
making it their care to instruct him early in the principles of reli- 
gion, and to bring him up in the fear of God, he was preserved, in 
a great measure, while young, from those follies and vices which 
children too generally fall into; and took pleasure in reading good 
books, and in other exercises of religion. And when about ten years 
of age, while the master of the school he attended was praying with 
his scholars, he received those good impressions, which, he says, he 
never entirely lost. A lesson this to all parents and schoolmasters, 
to use all diligence in endeavourisg to sow those seeds of grace in 
the minds of their children and pupils, which through the divine 
blessing, may afterwards grow up, and produce a plenteous harvest, 



294 



ON THE DEATH OF 



8. Mr. Mather, in his youth, was sundry times exposed to great 
and imminent dangers, in which through the kind providence of 
God, he was most mercifully preserved. When about twenty 
years of age, he came to London, where, in February, 1 753, he was 
married to a country-woman with whom he had been acquainted in 
his childhood ; and, in September following, was hired to a gentle- 
man who carried on the baking business. Here he found, what he 
says, he had long desired, a family in which God was worshipped. 
This excited him to great earnestness in seeking him, and to 
greater exactness in the use of prayer, and every other means of 
grace. And so much in earnest was he in this pursuit, that he some- 
times continued on his knees, from the time he should have gone to 
rest, till two in the morning, when he was called to go to work. 

9. Nevertheless, he did not for some time obtain either peace 
with God, or peace of mind, which he imputed to his being fre- 
quently employed in baking on the Lord's day. But in conse- 
quence of remonstrances on the subject, and proper steps being 
taken, this practice was soon given up by that family, and he, being 
induced to hear the word at the Foundery, was much edified, and 
soon made acquainted with, and enabled to embrace the way of 
salvation through faith in Christ. This, as I have observed, was 
under a sermon of Mr. Wesley oo Easter-day, in 1754. His confi- 
dence, indeed, at first, was not established, for he was soon assaulted 
with unbelief; but being exhorted to look to Jesus, and to confide 
in him, as giving himself for him, as all should be who are in a simi- 
lar situation, he soon recovered his peace, which, he says, by the 
mercy of God, he had not lost thirty years after; and I believe did 
not lose to his dying day. 

It was not lo' g before he began to find strong impressions upon 
his mind that he was called to preach ; which, after he had 
earnestly sought direction from God concerning it, in fasting and 
prayer, he ventured to mention to those that met in hand with 
him. 

They very properly joined with him in the same religious exer- 
cises, and afterwards urged him to consult Mr. Wesley on the 
subject ; who advised him to continue to seek direction in a patient 
and persevering use of the same means of grace ; and gave hirn 
reason to hope that God would soon make his way plain before him. 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 



295 



10. Soon after this, Mr. Wesley, to lead him on step by step, 
appointed him a leader of a band; and in a little time, a leader of a 
class ; and God blessed him in both these offices. Nevertheless, his 
conviction that he must preach continued, nay, grew stronger and 
stronger, so that he was constrained to go to Mr. Wesley again, and 
open his mind to him. Mr. Wesley now thought proper to set 
before him the difficulties of the work, "that to be a Methodist 
preacher, was not the way to ease, honour, pleasure, or emolument ; 
that it was a life of much labour and reproach ; that they often 
fared hard, were often in want, were liable to be stoned, beaten, 
and abused in various manners." He advised him to consider this 
before he engaged in so uncomfortable a way of life. Mr. Mather 
replied, that "he had no desire to engage therein, unless it were 
the call of God, and that he did not regard what he suffered in 
doing the will of God." Would to God that all who take upon 
them the sacred office of speaking in the name of Christ, were of 
this spirit ! 

Mr. Wesley then appointed him to make trial a few times. 
Being approved of he was soon employed as a local preacher, more 
than his strength could well bear. It seems he laboured between 
two and three years in this way, following his business day by day. 
and taking from sleep the time employed in study and preaching ; 
so that frequently, he says, he had not eight hours sleep in a week, 
•By this means, together with constant abstemiousness and fasting, 
he was brought so low in body, as hardly to be able to follow his 
business, and his master was very apprehensive his weakness would 
terminate in death. However, God supported him, and in August 
1757, which is forty-three years ago, he was received as a travel- 
ling preacher, and with Thomas Hanby, Thomas Tobias, and 
Thomas Lee, was sent into the Epworth circuit, which then included 
Gainsborough, Grimsby, Barrow, Doncaster, Jlotherham, Shef- 
field, and divers other circuits. Here it pleased God to give him 
much of his presence in his own soul, and to let him see some fruit 
of his labour. 

1 1 . Since that time till last spring, when, by excessive weakness he 
was obliged to desist, he has been constantly employed as a travel- 
ling preacher in the Methodist connexion : has laboured in most 
circuits in the kingdom ; has been peculiarly well received, 
and, I believe T may say, very useful in them all. In labour? 



296 



ON THE DEATH OF 



you all know he has been abundant; and as he laboured in 
dependence on divine grace, and with a single eye to the glory 
of God, he who sent him did not suffer him to labour in vain, but 
gave him many seals to his ministry. Many I am persuaded, were 
awakened, many justified, and believers in general edified by his 
ministry, wherever he came. What sort of a preacher he was, you 
in general well know, having heard him frequently, not only during 
the last two years, iu which he has had the care of this circuit, but 
many of you twenty-seven or twenty-eight years ago, when also he 
laboured in Loudon, as you have likewise, since that time, often 
heard him occasionally, so that it is not necessary I should give 
you any character of him in this respect. You will generally 
allow, I think, that he had very clear and just views of the truth 
as it is in Jesus, in all its branches, and that his preaching was 
peculiarly instructive and very forcible and impressive. He was 
never at a loss for abundance and variety of edifying matter ; and, 
had he had the aid of a classical education, his discourses, through 
a better arrangement, would have appeared to much more advan- 
tage. His apprehension was peculiarly quick, his genius fertile, 
and his memory tenacious. Being naturally a man of strong pas- 
sions, and divine grace having softened and humbled his heart, he 
generally felt himself the truth he delivered to others, and in 
consequence thereof his hearers felt them too. 

12. Indeed he had a feeling heart in every sense, especially 
towards persons in want and affliction ; with whom he always sym- 
pathized, whom he was always ready to relieve according to his 
ability ; and for the relief of whom he was often entrusted with 
considerable sums of money by some friends who were rich and 
benevolent, and whose almoner he was. He was a man of strict 
integrity, of exemplary conduct, aud of great zeal for the glory of 
God, and the salvation of souls. This made him instant in season 
and out of season, in his endeavours to spread the gospel of Christ, 
which he well knew to bethegraud means God had made choice of, 
both to save mankind, and to advance his own glory. Nor did he 
confine his efforts for this purpose to the pulpit, but in private con- 
versation, aud in all companies where it could with propriety be 
done, he laboured to diffuse the odour of the knowledge of God, 
and of the truths of his precious word. I have known few persons 
more careful than he was to improve conversation to the edification 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 



297 



«t those present : or more apt to teach, to reprove, to rebuke, and 
exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. And as his life was 
consistent with his teaching, and he was "an example to believers 
in word, in behaviour, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity," what 
he advanced was generally well received, and attended with a 
blessing. 

13. As the work of God in general was dear to him, so espe- 
cially the welfare of the Methodist connexion. This, with the 
doctrine and discipline thereof, lay very near his heart indeed; 
and, when at any time or place, matters wore a gloomy aspect, and 
circumstances arose which seemed to militate against the safety or 
prosperity of our cause, it touched him to the quick, and he was 
very prone to yield to excessive grief. And this perhaps was his 
great failing, for that he had failings I do not deny, for 1 do not 
deny that he was man. His grief ou these occasions sometimes 
wore the appearance of, and was mistaken for, anger ; and perhaps I 
may allow that, in a sense, it was anger, even anger similar to that 
which He felt, who, we are informed, " looked round about on the 
multitude with anger, bein*; grieved for the hardness of their hearts." 
During these thirty years that I have known him, I never knew 
any thing affect him so deeply, as what he thought touched the 
cause of God, and affected the welfare of the Methodist connexion. 

14. But I shall tire out your patience. One thing more t it 
seems of importance I should observe, before I give you an account of 
his last sickness and death. When he was labouring at Rotherham, 
in the year 1757, he tells us the Lord greatly deepeued his work 
in his soul. He was delivered from those wrong tempers and affec- 
tions which he had long and sensibly groaned under. He felt 
an entire disengagedness from every creature, with an entire devoted- 
oess to God ; and from that moment found unspeakable pleasure in 
doing the will of Go.l in all things, having also power to do it. 
And as he had the approbation of his own conscience, so he believed 
also he had the approbation of God. His heart then was undivided, 
and his eye single to the glory of God, at all times, and in all 
places ; and he was inspired with that fervent zeal for the glory 
of God, and the good of souls which swallowed up every other 
care and consideration. And above all, he had, he says, uninter- 
rupted communion with God. sleeping and waking. He seems to 
have retained this close union with Christ, and conformity to him, 

O o 



ON THE DEATH OF 



for some time, but by no means till he wrote the account (which as 
I said was ia the year 1780.) I suppose, however, he frequently 
enjoyed it, and that it was his chief support under the many trials 
he met with from affliction and pain, from mobs, by scoffs and 
insults, by dirt, stones, and brickbats, with which he was sometimes 
attacked when about his Master's work; from false brethren, and 
from seeing the work of God hindered, and the societies and congre- 
gations divided and scattered through strife and contention. 

15. Speaking on this subject, he says, "I find abundant cause 
to praise God for the support he has giveu me, under various trials^? 
and the wonderful deliverance he has granted me from them. I 
praise him, for so preserving me from impatience in them that the 
enemy has had no room to speak reproachfully. In all he has 
giv en me free access to the throne of grace ; often with strong con- 
fidence of deliverance. I bless God that the trials I have met with, 
even from my brethren, have never given me an inclination to 
decline the work, nor for any time together to be less active in it 
I always considered I had nothing which I had not received, and 
that the design of the giver was, that all should be used, with sin- 
gleness of heart, to please God and not man. I praise him, that though 
some of the affairs I have been engaged in, being quite new to me, 
have so deeply employed my thoughts as sometimes to divert me 
from that degree of communion with God, in which is my only hap* 
piness, and without which my soul can never be at rest; yet he 
gives me always to see, that the fulness of the promise is every 
christian's privilege, and that this, and every other branch of salva- 
tion, is to be received now by faith." 

16. Such were his views, desires, and resolutions twenty years ago,, 
and I believe they were not materially altered after that time. What 
his spirit and conduct were of late, many of you know better than I 
He has been your minister, aud the superintendent of the societies 
in this city and neighbourhood, these two last years, and you have 
had frequent opportunities of observing how he conducted himself, 
and, which is the chief evidence of the power of grace, with what 
degree of patience and resignation he supported the tedious, com- 
plicated, and painful affliction wherewith it pleased God to exercise 
and perfect him. For it Was necessary that he, like his Master, 
should be perfected through sufferings. His sufferings, indeed, for 
some years, have, occasionally, been great, but for six or eight 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 299 

months nearly uninterrupted. At the time I last saw him, the time 
referred to before, his affliction wa« great indeed. And what I was 
then a witness to I shall never forget. The moment his dear friend, 
Mr. Pawson, and I entered the room, his pale face, his emaciated 
body, and his death-like appearance, struck and affected us exceed- 
ingly, and for some minutes we both remained silent and wept. At 
length he attempted to address us, and with a low whisper, not 
being able to speak above his breath, lie said, ' ; Through the mercy 
of God I have got hither, by a miracle ; but why I am here 1 
know not, for I seem to be of no use." I said, ' ; You are here that 
you may be an example of patience, by suffering the will of God, 
as you have long been of diligence in doing it ; and doubtless you 
will find this an harder duty than the other." < ! Indeed I do," said 
he, "but I find the grace of God sufficient for this also." He then 
expressed himself in a most clear, pertinent, and feeling manner, con- 
cerning our redemption by Christ, as I have mentioned above, and of 
his whole dependence being on this alone, and not on any thing he 
had done or suffered, lor salvation. We were both much affected 
while be discoursed on this subject. After this he spoke concerning 
the Methodist connexion in a way which shewed how much his 
soul was wrapped up in the prosperity of it, and gave us many- 
cautions and advices, urging us especially to attend, at the confer- 
ence, to the state of the poor preachers, many of whom, he said, he 
knew to be in great want and distress. After he had quite spent 
himself with speaking to us, on these and some other subjects, we 
kneeled down to pray, as we had reason to believe for the last time, 
but we could not speak much. We could do little more than weep 
in silence, and gave vent to our tears and sighs. We then bid him 
farewell. Mr. Pawson, indeed, might intend to see him again the 
next day, but I took my leave of him, not expecting to see him 
again, as it has happened, till the resurrection of the just. 

1 7. He continued to be patient and resigned, as he had been 
all along, from the first attack of his disorder, and retained his con- 
fidence in God, and his hope of everlasting life, to the very last; 
exemplifying, in a glorious manner, in his experience and behaviour, 
the followiug well kuovrn and striking description of a triumphant 
death : 

' { Thro" 1 nature's wreck, thro' vanquished agonies, 
/Like the stars struggling thro' the midnight gloom,) 



000 



ON THE DEATH OF 



What gleams of joy ? What more than human peace 

Where the frail mortal — the poor abject worm ? 

No, not in death, the mortal to be found ! 

His conduct is a legacy for all, 

Richer than Mammon's for his single heir. 

His comforters he comforts: Great in ruin, 

With unreluctant grandeur, gives, not yields, 

His soul sublime, and closes with his fate." 

On Saturday eight, August 16, speaking to his much-esteemed 
friend, Mr. Robert Spence of York, he said, w What I told j ou 
upon your first visiting me after my arrival at York, I still tV el to 
be a truth, viz. that I have no where to look, nor any thing else to 
depend upon for salvation, but Christ ; and my confidence in H^ra 
is firm as a rock. My faith has frequently been assaulted, during 
my affliction, in an unusual manner, but it has never shrunk in the 
least degree : I feel a blessed evidence of my acceptance, and a 
sacred sense of God's presence being with me always. How com- 
fortable are these words, he that cometh to me 1 will in nowise 
cast out. God so loved us that he gave his only So?i to be the pro- 
pitiation for us. There is no other name, no other Redeemer ; on 
him my soul relies. Mine is a hope of more than forty years ; it 
cannot easib be shaken." On Monday, the 18th, being in extreme 
anguish, he said, " I long to be gone ; I long to be gone ;*' and 
desired me to pray for his dismission. After rising from my knees, 
I said that this could only be asked with submission ; he sweetly 
and reverently answered, "With great submission; with great sub- 
mission." After pausing a while, he said, " I am happy in Jesus, 
but my sufferings are very g reat /' and added, 

" Rivers of life divine I see. 
And trees of paradise 

* O let me be there : — I'll be there, there, there : O that it might 
be this night; O hide me among these trees: — Here may I have 
an abiding place ! 

" "Tis there, with the lambs of thy flock; — 
There only I covet to rest." 

"But if I may not have the privilege, the happiness, the honour, 
of being with thee this night, may I be resigned to thy will. G 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 



that exercise of praise and thanksgiving! It has been the delight 
of my soui — my chief exercise on earth. I have loved thy word, 
thy law, thy people, and I still love them. 

" Let it not my Lord displease, 
That I would die to be his guest.'' 

< Jesus answers, thou art all fair, my love ; there is no spot in 
thee. — Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Jesus has 
made me all fair." Again, when labouring under the most extreme 
pain, anguish, and anxiety, (for his complicated afflictions racked 
his body with the most torturing sufferings, and bowed down his 
formerly strong spirits with the heaviest depression) he most affect- 
ingly cried out, " O God, my heart is broken within me. Why are 
thy chariot-wheels so long in coming ? Lord, grant me patience;" 
and then, as though his prayers were immediately answered, he 
calmly said, 

" To patient faith the prize is sure, 
And they that to the end endure 
The cross, shall wear the crown. 1 ' 

On Wednesday morning, the 20th, after a night of inexpressible 
suffering, he was composed and slumbered a little. When he 
awoke, he seemed surprised to find himself still in the body, and 
said, " why did you call me back ? I have been in paradise. As 
surely as I shall go there again, I have been in heaven this 
morning." Then, after taking leave of, and giving his dying advice 
to the family, he turned to Mrs. Mather, and said, "as for you, my 
dear, I can say nothing to you that I have not already said; but, 
(pointing to the bible) that book is yours, and the author of it." 
On this night, amongst many other heavenly breathings, I observed 
him to say, " O Jesus, whom I have loved, whom I do love, in 
whom I delight, I surrender myself unto thee." This was a night 
of peculiar affliction, which he bore with the utmost degree of 
christian patience. 

On Friday, the 22d, about two hours before his departure, and 
nearly the last words he uttered, he was heard to say, " I now know 
that I have not sought thee in vain; I have not — I have not — I 
have not f and then, " O thou that caused light to shine out of dark- 



302 



ON THE DEATH OF 



ness, shiae upoa my soul with the light of the knowledge of the Spa 
of God. That name, above every name, for ever dear ; it dispels 
all my fears — O proclaim, proclaim Jesus. Tell me, shall I be 
with him this night ?" On being answered, yes, there is no doubt 
of it, he cried out, " he that I have served for near fifty years will 
not forsake me ooav : Glory be to God and the Lamb for ever and 
ever; amen, amen, amen." Soon after this his voice failing, he 
spoke very little audibly; but, by the motion of his lips, appeared 
engaged in silent ejaculations, till seeming to fall into a sweet slum- 
ber, he silently, and, almost imperceptibly, breathed his soul into 
the arms of his loved and adored Redeemer, about four o'clock in 
the afternoon. 

And now, my brethren, is not this most animating ? Methinks 
had we been present at such a close, of such a life, by such a man, 
we should have felt a little of the ardour described in the lines im- 
mediately following those above quoted. 

" How our hearts burnt within us at the scene ! 
Whence, this brave bound o'er limits fixt to man 
His God sustains him in his final hour! 
His final hour brings glory to his God ! 
Man's glory heav'n vouchsafes to call her own. 
We gaze 3 we weep, mixt tears of grief and joy! 
Amazement strikes ! Devotion bursts to flame ! 
Christians adore, and infidels believe !" 

Thus lived, and thus died, Alexander Mather. Than whom^ 
perhaps no person has been more universally respected among us, 
as an intelligent and judicious man, a pious and exemplary christian^ 
a sympathising and steady friend ; and a faithful diligent labourer 
in the Lord's vineyard. What was said of Demetrius, by St. Joho, 
(as some of you heard from Mr. Bradburn, this morning) was, in- 
deed, very applicable to him, — "He had a good report of all men, 1 
and of the truth itself." May we, whether preachers or peoples 
follow him as he followed Christ! Considering the end of his 
conversation, and how the Lord supported him in his last moments; 
may we imitate his faith and patience, and persevere, in our 
endeavours, to aid the good cause which he so long laboured to 
support, and help forward in the earth; the cause which the 
Apostles, the Evangelists, the Saints, and the Martyrs of former 



MR. ALEXANDER MATHER. 



303 



ages, had so much at heart; which the Son of God himself came 
from heaven to promote, aod for which he did not think it too much 
to give his life. W e ourselves, also, let us remember, are ready to 
be offered, aud the time of our departure is likewise at hand. Let 
us, like our departed friend, make it our chief care to " fight the 
good fight, to finish our course, and keep the faith that for us, 
also, through the same Redeemer, and in consequence of redemption 
in him, there may be laid up " a crown of righteousness, which the 
Lord, the righteous Judge, may give us in that day; and not to 
us only, but to all that Love his appearing," Amen ! Amen ! 



SERMON XV* 



^REACHED ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF THE 

REV. PEARD DICKINSON; 

ON SUNDAY, MAY 30, 1802, AT THE NEW CHAPELj 
CITY-ROAD. 

The hope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof in time of froublk 
Jeremiah xiv. 8. 

] . IT is at the request of our departed friend, ou the occasion of 
whose decease I ana now to address you, that I call your atten- 
tion to this striking and consolatory character of Jehovah, the only- 
living and true God* It was our brother's wish that the Saviour 
of fallen and wretched man should be exalted, when his Funeral 
Discourse was delivered, and not the " poor worm," as his expres- 
sion was to me the last time I saw him, " who was about to be com- 
mitted to the dust. He therefore made choice of a portion of 
holy writ to be discoursed from on that occasion, the subject of 
which is the virtues of the Redeemer rather than the endowments 
of the redeemed; and he particularly requested me, whom he 
wished to perform this last office for him, to occupy your attention 



306 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



by the former rather than the latter of these subjects. And I shall 
make it my care so far to comply with his desire, as to dwell 
chiefly, on those virtues of our Redeeming God, aud to refer what 
I shall advance concerning the endowments of his servant, to the 
glory of his grace, whose free gifts these endowments were. 

2* In desiring that God, or rather that God in Christ, should be 
exhibited to the view of your faith, as the hope of Israel, and the 
Saviour thereof in time of trouble, our deceased friend was influ- 
enced by his own experience, as well as by a regard to your spi- 
ritual profit. He had for many years made Jehovah his hope, 
and in the midst of great and long-continued trouble, arising from 
most severe and complicated affliction, had proved him to be his 
Saviour. And it was his sincere and fervent desire that the Re- 
deemer of lost mankind might be to you what he had been to him. 
Well did he know that man is a fallen creature, that he is " born 
to trouble as the sparks fly upward," that trials and afflictions 
await all the posterity of Adam, that " we have here no continu- 
ing city that while in the present world, we are only tk saved 
by hope," that is, that our complete and final salvation is only 
expected, and not fully enjoyed, and that there is no solid ground of 
liope for any of the human race, as to another life, nor any firm 
support under the troubles of this, but the power and love of this 
Redeemer and Saviour; the refuge and strength, and very present 
help of his Israel in trouble. He regretted, therefore, that this 
" hope of Israel, and Saviour thereof in trouble," should, as the next 
words express it, be so much <* a stranger in our land," and, to so 
many, even of the serious professors of Christianity, as " a way- 
faring man, that turneth aside to tarry for a night," and, he greatly 
desired that all ministers of the gospel would endeavour to publish 
and make him known, more and more, to the bewildered, lost, and 
miserable children of men, especially in these characters in which 
they so much want him. Permit me, therefore, in obedience to 
his last request, to engage your meditations on these subjects, while 
I inquire, 

X. Who are the true Israel of God, and, 

II. In what sense, and in what way, Jehovah is their hope, and 
their Saviour in time of trouble. I shall also make some applies- 



JtEV. PEARD DICI^NSON 



307 



tioa of the doctrines advanced, and show you how they were veri* 
fied in the experience and character of our departed brother, of 
whose life and death I shall give you a short account. 

And, 1st. we are to inquire who are the true Israel of God ? 

1. 1. The word Israel, as is well known, means a prince of 9 or 
a prince with God, and is the title which was giveu by God him- 
self to the patriarch Jacob, in honour and commendation of his 
humiliation, his faith, and his importunity and perseverance in 
prayer, when, in a 9eason of sore trouble, he wrestled with the 
Angel of the divine presence, that is, with the Son of God, and 
prevailed for a blessing. To this event, the prophet Hosea refers 
when he says, " He (i. e. Jacob) took his brother by the heel, in 
the womb, and by his strength he had power with God; yea, he 
had power over the Angel, and prevailed : he wept and made sup- 
plication unto him ; he found him in Bethel — even Jehovah, God 
of hosts; — Jehovah is his memorial,'* Hosea xii. 3, 5. In this 
passage, it is observable that the same person is styled, Jehovah 
God, and yet an Angel or Messenger, and therefore could only 
be the Word or Son of God, who, although he was u before Abra- 
ham/' " before all thiDgs," and ** from everlasting," was, neverthe 
less, frequently the Fathers Messenger to mankind, whose nature 
he was afterwards to assume, and especially a Messenger to that, 
family whose seed he was in a peculiar sense to be. From this 
time, as you will recollect, Jacob was frequently termed Israel 
and from him, his descendants were generally called by that name, 
although most of them were very far from imitating him in genuine 
humility, lively faith, or fervent prayer. 

2. The privileges of this people were very great. " To them, 9 '' 
as St. Paul has observed, "pertained the adoption, arid the glory, and 
the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, 
and the promises : theirs were the fathers, and of them, as concern- 
ing the flesh, the Messiah was to come, who is over all, God, 
blessed for ever." Rom. ix. 4. 5. They had been redeemed from 
Egyptian bondage with a mighty hand, had been taken visibly and 
externally into covenant with God, as his people, had his oracles 
and ordinances among them, and were, in a very peculiar sense^ 
under his protection and care, "The eternal God;' as Moses 



308 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



observes, " was their refuge, and underneath them were the ever* 
lasting Arms:— He rode upon the heavens in their help, and ia 
Jiis excellency on the sky : He thrust out or destroyed their enemy 
from before them/' so that they dwelt "in safety alone :" " The 
fountain of Jacob was upon a land of corn and wine, also his heavens 
dropped down dew." They inhabited a land of brooks of water, of 
fountains, and depths that sprung out of valleys and hills; a land 
of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig-trees, and pomegranates, a 
land of oil-olive, and honey ; a land wherein they eat bread without 
scarceness, and lacked nothing ; whose stones were iron, and out of 
whose hills they might dig brass," Deut. viii. 7 — 9. Here they 
" possessed great and goodly cities, which they builded not, and 
houses full of all good things which they filled not, wells which they 
digged not, and vineyards and olive-trees which they planted not." 
And " there was no nation so great who had God so nigh unto 
them, as the Lord their God was in all that they called upon him 
lor;" "and 45 there was no nation so great, that had statutes and 
judgments so righteous as all that law -which God had set before 
them," Deut. iv. 7, 3. "Since the day that God created man 
upon earth, and from one side of heaven unto the other," never ha«l 
there been such a thing as had been done for this people : 
jNeVer had people heard the voice of God speaking out of the midst 
of the fire, as they had heard, and lived: And "never had God 
.taken him a nation out of the midst of another nation," as he had 
taken this people out of the midst of the Egyptians, "by signs and 
wonders, by a mighty hand, and an outstretched arm, and great 
terrors." 

3. Still, however, this was only Israel after the fiesh, as St. Paul's 
language is, 1. Cor. x. 13. And which demonstrates how little any 
externals, signs, wonders, deliverances, ordinances, or privileges, can 
do of themselves j they were* in general a very carnal, and even 
wicked people. In all ages of their commonwealth, tiil the Baby- 
lonish captivity, they were prone even to the sin of gross idolatry ; 
and after that period were soon divided into two sects, that of the 
Sadducees, who were infidels, and had not so much as the form of 
religion; and thai of the Pharisees, who, were, in general, hypocrites, 
and had the form thereof only, without the power. So that we can- 
sot but easily acknowledge the truth and importance of the apostle's 
.■sjfelaration. when he affirms, " Tfrey are not all Israel that are of 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON. £09 

Israel," Bom. ix. 6 — 8 ; and observes again, " He is not a Jew that 
is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision that is outward iu 
the flesh ; but he is a Jew that is one inwardly ; and circumcision 
is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise 
is not of men but of God," Rom. ii. 28, 29. 

4. This leads me to observe, that there is a spiritual Israel, and 
that among Gentiles, as well as Jews, among those that are not of 
the posterity of Jacob, as well as among those that are. And it is 
of this Israel that my text, and many other passages both of the 
Old and New Testament are to be understood. Permit me to 
instance in two or three. " Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall 
neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper ;-— he shall pre- 
serve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul," &c. Psal. 
cxxi. 4 — 6. Whom does he keep ? Whom does he preserve from 
all evil ? Surely the righteous, and them only. For '* his eyes are 
over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers : but his 
face is set against them that do evil," even although they may be 
the descendants of Jacob, or members of the visible church. Again, 
" Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is mercy, &c. 
and he shall redeem Israel from all bis iniquities," Psal. cxxx. 7, 8. 
Who have a right to hope in him, and whom will he redeem from 
all their iniquities ? Certainly his spiritual Israel, his true people. 
These are meant, especially by St. Paul, w r hen speaking of the ne-< 
cessity of being made new creatures in Christ, he says, " As many 
as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and on 
the Israel of God" Gal. vi. 16. and by our Lord, when he distin- 
guishes "Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile" from the rest of 
Abraham's race. 

5. But who are these ? What is their real state and character ? 
I answer, 1st, it is directly opposed to that of the unbelieving 
Israelites, who, when the true and long-expected Messiah came to 
them, " received him not." These, on the other hand, believingly 
and thankfully receive him, and that in all his offices and charac- 
ters; in every one of which they see they absolutely need him, and 
with respect to every one of which they make application to him, 
and derive real blessings from him. As " a Teacher come from 
God," he instructs them by his word and Spirit, and makes them 
"wise unto salvation." As "a Mediator between God and man," 
lie reconciles them to God by his death and intercession. And as 



310 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



the lawgiver and governor of his people, he rules in their hearts bf 
his grace, and directs their practice by his laws. Having " come 
to him as a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of 
God, and precious;" that is, having " believed on him with their 
heart unto righteousness," they, " as lively stones, are built up a 
spiritual house, an holy priesthood, that they may offer spiritual 
sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." Being no longer 
46 ignorant of God's righteousness," nor i: going about to establish 
their own righteousness," they have submitted themselves to the 
righteousness of God, and being in Christ, there is now no con- 
demnation to them. 

6. This leads me to observe, 2dly, that all those who are the 
true Israel of God, are "justified, and have peace with God, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ.' 7 Having been " translated out of 
darkness into marvellous light," they are become " a people who 
were not a people," and they have obtained mercy, who had not 
obtained mercy.*' This the apostle signifies in the passage above 
quoted : " Peace be on them," viz. on such as are new creatures, 
" and mercy, and on the Israel of God." The Israel of God, there- 
fore have found mercy. As St. Paul expresses it in his Epistle to 
the Ephesians, they are "made accepted in the beloved, in whom 
they have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of their 
sins." Nay, as they have obeyed the heavenly call, and have 
" come out from among" the carnal and wicked, making it their 
care "not to touch the unclean thing," God "has received them, 
and is become a father unto them, and they are become the sons or 
daughters of the Lord Almighty." They are " all children of God. 
by faith in Christ Jesus," and "because they are children, God hath 
sent the Spirit of his Son into their hearts, crying, Abba, Father." 
They " have therefore received, not the spirit of bondage again to 
fear, but they have received the spirit of adoption," the fruits of 
which are love joy, peace, with every grace and virtue. 

7. For let it be observed, 3dly, that the spirit of adoption which 
is in them, is also a spirit of regeneration, and of this spirit they are 
now born. The kindness and love of God our Saviour having ap- 
peared towards them in justifying them freely, and adopting them 
for his children, " according to his mercy he has also saved them by 
the washing- of regeneration, and the renewiDg of the Holy Ghost." 
Having been "baptized into Christ, they have put on Christ. 3 ' 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON. 



31 i 



They have " put off, concerning the former conversation, the old 
man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts ; are renewed 
in the spirit of their minds, and have put on the new man, which, 
after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness." They 
are, therefore, new creatures, according to the texts already re- 
ferred to, Jews inwardly, who have experienced the " circumcision 
made without hands, in putting off the sins of the flesh, by the cir- 
cumcision of Christ," viz. "the circumcision of the heart and 
spirit, the praise of which is not of man but of God," Rom. ii. 29. 
Col. ii. 11. 

8. And, 4thly, their character is consistent with their experience. 
Being made the true and spiritual circumcision, and being possessed 
of the spirit of Christ, without which they could not be his, " they 
worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no con- 
fidence in the flesh." They do not think it sufficient to attend the 
ordinances of God, or use the means of grace, whether private or 
public, and to have the complete form of external godliness, but 
they take care to have the power of it also. They worship God in 
the Spirit. They pray in the Holy Ghost, from a deep sense of 
their wants, from a view of the divine fulness, and with sincere and 
earnest desire after the spiritual and eternal blessings which they 
ask. They praise God from a principle of lively gratitude for his 
mercies, and from an affecting view of his glory and his grace. 
They mix faith with the word they read or hear, " receive with 
meekness the ingrafted word," " receive the truth in the love of it, v 
and are " doers of the word, and not hearers only." In partaking of 
the Lord's supper, they '« feed on Christ in their hearts by faith 
with thanksgiving," so that " the bread which they break is to them 
the communion of Christ's body, and the wine which they drink is 
to them the communion of his blood," and " their souls are strength- 
ened and refreshed by the body and blood of Christ, as their bodies 
are by the bread and wine." 

9. In the meantime they glory, as the original word is, or rejoice 
in Christ Jesus, viz. in the knowledge they have of him, in the love 
they have to him, in the interest they have in him, in the union 
they have with him, in the conformity they have to him, in the re- 4 
lations in which he stands to them, as their Friend^ and Brother, and 
Husbajid) and in the expectations they entertain from him of glory 
and felicity, boundless and eternal ; In one word^ in What hz $k 



312 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



in himself, and in what he is to them. These, and not tilings 
earthly or carnal, are the sources of their happiness, and objects 
of their exultation and delight. 

10. Another branch of their character is that "they have no 
confidence in the flesh, that is, in themselves or in any creature. 
Whatever privileges they may have had by birth, education, 
church-fellowship, or in any other way ; whatever knowledge in 
divine or human things, or moral righteousness they may have at- 
tained, or whatever works, externally and apparently good, they 
may have performed, they put no confidence in these for justifica- 
tion before God, now or at the day of judgment : Nor do they con- 
fide in any creature for rest or happiness. But they say with the 
apostle, u What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for 
Christ ; yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the ex- 
cellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord — I count them 
but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having 
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is 
through faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." 
I am happy to have it in my power to say, we have every reason to 
believe that our departed brother Dickinson was one of these true 
Israelites, and that, as we shall by and by see, he was made such at 
an early period of life, I now come to consider, secondly, in what 
sense and in what respects Jehovah is the Hope and Saviour of such, 
in time of trouble. 

1. That Jehovah, the one living and true God, is here meant, 
the context evidently shows : But it is to be observed, that he can 
only be the hope and saviour of us guilty sinners, as he is in Christ, 
reconciling us to himself, and not imputing our trespasses unto us. 
The Messiah, the Son of God, who " is given for a covenant of the 
people, and a light of the Gentiles," (Isa. xlii. 6.) is the Desire of 
nations, the Saviour of sinners, and the Hope set before us." 
" There shall be a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of 
the people ; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glo- 
rious," (Isa. xi. 10.) or as the Apostle expresses it, following the 
Septuagint. " There shall be. a Root of Jesse, and he that, shall rise 
to reign over the Gentiles ; in him shall the Gentiles trust, (Rom. 
xv. 12.) or hope; as it is in the original. God the Father is our 
Hope, in and through his Son, the one Mediator between him and 
us. And the Son of God is our hope, in and through the grace, and 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON, 



313 



f.o the glory of the Father. For he is the foundation laid in Zion, 
and " other foundation'' than this " can no man lay for there 
is salvation in no other. There is no name given under heaven 
among men, whereby we can be saved, bat his name." (Acts 
m 12.) 

2. Now Jehovah is said to be our hope by that figure of speech* 
termed a metonymy, which puts one thing for another that has 
some relation to it. He is the object, the foundation^ and the 
author, of our hope. As hope has a reference to what is, or U 
conceived to be good, it always implies desire, and as it respects, 
not what is present and possessed, but only what is future, and is 
looked for, and it comprehends expectation. And God in Christ 
is the chief object of the desire and expectation of his true 
Israel. His favour, and a farther manifestation thereof, his image 
and a larger communication of that Spirit whereby it is stamped 
upon the human soul ; communion with him, and the everlasting 
enjoyment of him in glory, are the blessings which all God's genu- 
ine children desire, look for, and pursue, in preference to all other 
things. "O God, thou art my God," is their language, "early 
will I seek thee : my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for 
thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is ; to see thy power 
and thy glory; so as I have seen thee in the sanctuarj': because- 
thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." 
" Whom have I in heaven but thee ? And there is none on earth 
I desire in comparison of thee. My flesh and my heart fail, but 
thou art the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." 
<( The Lord is my portion, saith my soul : therefore will I hope iu 
him." " As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness, I 
shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness." Such were 
frequently the desires and hopes of our departed friend, as his 
papers make evident. 

3. But he who is the object, is also the ground of his people's 
hope and confidence. The attributes of his nature, the relations 
in which he is pleased to stand to believers, the promises he has 
made them, the pledges he has given them of the accomplishment 
of these promises, and the covenant into which he has entered 
with them ; all afford the most solid ground for confidence and 
hope, for time and for eternity. His sell-existence, bis independ- 
ence, his supremacy, his eternity, his infinity, his unsearchable 



314 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



wisdom, his boundless power, his unspeakable love ; his everlast- 
ing mercy, his inviolable truth, and even his inflexible justice, iu 
and through the blood of atonement stands engaged for them, and 
tays a most firm foundation for their expectation of future and eter- 
nal blessings. What may not creatures, who are his offspring, and 
bear his image, expect from such a Creator, subjects from such a 
king, servants from such a master, and especially children from 
such a father, and the spouse of the Lamb from such a husband ! 
Will not his infinite goodness design, his infinite wisdom contrive, 
and his infinite power perform great things for them here and 
hereafter? Hath he not promised great things, and is he not as 
willing as he is able, to fulfil his promises ? Is the strength of 
Israel a man that he should lie, or the son of man that he should 
repent ? Hath he said, and shall he not do it ? Hath he spoken, and 
shall he not make it good ?" "He that spared not his own Son, 
but freely delivered him unto death for them all, how shall he not 
with him also freely give them all things," and make all things 
work for their good ? He is for them, and who can be against 
them ? or what can those that are against them do, that shall be to 
their real prejudice ? Can they deceive or outwit his unsearchable 
wisdom, overcome his boundless power, or withstand the designs of 
his everlasting love. " The Lord is their helper, and they need 
not fear what men or devils can do unto them." He whose 
existence is in and of himself, who is independent of all his crea- 
tures, and supreme above them all, will constrain them all to serve 
the true, the immortal interests of those whom he delights to honour, 
exalt, and enrich with all his unsearchable riches. 

4. But it will be asked, For what especially do they hope 
and confide in him ? I answer, not to mention temporal blessings, 
such as all things needful, Matt. vi. 33. all things useful, PsaL 
Ixxx. 11. and that things seemingly evil, " shall w r ork for their 
good," Rom. viii. 28. — all which he hath promised them in his 
word; they expect a continuance and increase of spiritual bless- 
ings, especially of that justification and peace with God, which, 
as we have seen, they possess; of that sanctification, or holiness of 
heart and life, which is the never-failing consequence thereof, and 
of the happiness arising from both. They do not expect to be 
without trials, or to be exempted from those exercises of their 
faith aad patience, whereby the Lord has seen fit to prove hie 



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* people in all ages. But they hope that the Lord's " grace will 
be sufficient for them," and that, " as their day is, their strength 
shall be." Thus our departed brother: u After so many instances 
of his faithfulness and truth," says he, in a slip of paper found 
among his MSS. " After I have experienced so much of his 
mercy, aud goodness, and grace, it would be the vilest ingratitude 
in me to mistrust his faithfulness and truth, giving me the promised 
support and help, that is so needful for me in what may yet remain 
of the present state of trial. I will fight against these evil sugges- 
tions that may spring from my own fallen heart, or be obtruded by 
him whose ancient enmity agaiusi "the seed cf the woman continues 
to exert itself with the most malignant constancy. I know in whom 
I have believed, and though I am indeed weak, and must sink if 
left to myself, yet my Lord will not suffer his poor servant, whose 
©nly trust is in him, to be deserted in the hour of trial. " Who 
shall make a separation between me and my God ? shall tribula 
tion, or auguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, 
or sword ?' JNo : " I am persuaded that neither tribulation, noi 
anguish, nor persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor 
sword, nor death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor pow- 
ers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, 
nor any other creature," shall ever prevail so far over me. I know 
in whom I have believed. I am not ignorant whose precious blood 
was shed forme; 1 have a Shepherd full of kindness, full of care, 
and full of power ; unto him I commit myself; his own finger hath 
graven this sentence on the table of my heart. Satan hath desired 
to winnow thee as wheat; but I have prayed that thy faith fail 
not : therefore, the assurance of my hope I will labour to keep as 
a jewel unto the end." 

5. Let it be observed, however, that the chief object of their 
hope is, eternal life. " In hope of eternal life," says Paul to Titus, 
" which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began, but 
hath in due time manifested in his word, by preaching." This St. 
Peter terms an "inheritance," (the true Israel of God, being his 
children, and therefore heirs of it,) and describes it as " incorrupti- 
ble, undefiled, and that fadeih not away." This hope, it is well 
known, the heathen had not, as neither having been favoured with 
any satisfactory revelation of such a state, nor of the way leading 
to it, and therefore were said to be " without hope," (Eph. ii. 11.) 



316 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



and to have "no hope, 5 ' (1 Thess. iv. 13.) And considering that 
thfc " eternal life," or " heavenly inheritance," includes all that is 
meant by paradise, heaven, the city of the living God, the heavenly 
Jerusalem ; and implies the immortality of the soul, the resurrection 
of the body, and the utmost perfection and felicity of our whole 
nature, blessed with the most clear vision of God, and intimate 
society of the wisest, best, and most exalted of his rational crea- 
tures, we need not wonder that the saints are represented, in the 
sacred scriptures, as rejoicing in hope of it. But it must be ob- 
served, that they often rejoice, nay, and glory in tribulation also, 
finding that tribulation worketh patience, patience experience, and 
experience a still greater degree of hope," and that he who is 
The hope of Israel, is also The Saviour thereof in time of trouble. 

6. The Israel of God, it must be observed, have their times of 
trouble. They are, indeed, on their way to glory, but their way 
lies through sufferings. " If so be," said St. Paul, " that we suffer 
with him, that w r e may be also glorified together." " If we die 
with him," says he again, " we shall live with him ; if we suffer 
with him, we shall reign with him, (2 Tim. ii. 11, 12.) " Beloved, 
think it not strange," says St. Peter, " concerning the fiery trial 
that is to try you, as though some strange thing," of which you 
had not been forewarned, " happened unto you ; but rejoice, 
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when his 
glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 
(1 Pet. iv. 12, 13.) " In the world," said Jesus to all his disci- 
ples, " ye shall have tribulation," and the uniform testimony of 
these disciples, not only in the primitive times of Christianity, but 
in every future age, has been that " through much tribulation we 
must enter the kingdom of God." God's Israel, however, have & 
Saviour, who is their " refuge and strength, and very present help 
in trouble." On him they rely, if not for preservation from trouble 
in times of general calamity, which he often vouchsafes, yet for sup- 
port under it, and for deliverance out of it at the proper season. 

7. Afflictions and troubles are allotted by God to his people, for 
very important purposes, especially for their correction, for their 
trial, and for their purification. They are first to be considered 
as the chastisements of their heavenly Father, intended to correct 
and amend them. "When we are judged," that is, afflicted, as the 
S:f ? n(exl Fhows, 'j we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be 



REV PEARD DICKINSON. 



317 



v condemned with the world." 1 Cor. xi. 32. « If ye endure 
chastisement," says the author of the epistle to the Hebrews," God 
dealeth with you as with sons : For what son is he whom the father 
chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all" the 
people of God " are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. 
Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, 
and we gave them reverence : shall we not much rather be in sub- 
jection to the Father of spirits, and live ? for they verily, for a few 
days, chastened us after their pleasure ; but he for our profit, that 
we might be partakers of his holiness." (Heb. xii. 7, 9.) 

8. In the meantime, while affliction corrects the people of God 
for their faults, and amends them, it exercises and tries all their 
graces and virtues. Their faith in the truths and promises of God, 
and in him in whom all the promises are yea and amen ; their 
hope of life eternal ; their love to God, his people, his word, and 
his Avays ; their resignation to his will ; their patience under the 
dispensations of his providence ; their contentment in the state and 
circumstances in which he is pleased to place them, their meekness, 
gentleness, and long-suffering ; their forgiving spirit, their purity, 
their deadness to the world, and heavenly mind, and, in short, every 
grace and virtue is tried and exercised hereby, and of consequence 
increased. By what we call trials, and what, indeed, are so named 
in scripture, both the reality, and the degree of our grace is mani- 
fested, and that both to ourselves and others. We learn ourselves, 
and we show to those that are round about us, whether we have 
saving grace, and also, what progress we have made therein. 

9. There is yet another purpose for which the children of God 
are brought under trials and troubles, and another end to be 
answered by them, and that is their purification. Afflictions, of 
whatever kind, are intended to be a purifying furnace, in which 
all the dross of vanity and sin, of the earthly, sensual, and devilish 
mind, is to be purged away ; " I will bring the third part through 
the fire," says God, " and I will refine them as silver is refined, I 
will try them as gold is tried : they shall call on my name, and I will 
hear them : I will say, this is my people, and they snail say, the 
Lord is my God." (Zech. xiii. 9.) And referring to the calami- 
ties he was about to bring upon his people, and the effect that would 
be produced by them, he observe.;, " I will turn my hand upon thee, 
and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin." 



318 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



(Isa. i. 25.) And again, alluding to similar events that should 
succeed the coming of the Messiah, " He is like a refiner's fire, and 
like fuller's soap ; he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them 
as gold and silver, that they may oiler unto the Lord an offering iu 
righteousness.'' (Mai. iii. 2, 3.) While the people of God live 
in the exercise of repentance, and of lively faith, the losses, 
reproaches, and persecutions they meet with, have a natural ten- 
dency to purify them more and more. By worldly losses which 
deprive them of their property, they are more and more weaned 
from the love of the world, and freed from that earthly mind which 
is so natural to them. Through reproach and persecution they die 
to all esteem for, and desire after, the praise of men, and human 
honour and applause. And through affliction and pain of body, 
they learu to conquer softness and effeminacy, the love of ease aud 
pleasure, and obtain that courage, fortitude, and vigour of mind, 
which are so necessary to enable us to weather out the storms of life, 
to persevere in the ways of God, and to be *'faithful unto death." 
These blessed ends, I doubt not, were graciously answered by the 
long and painful affliction which our deceased friend endured. 

10. I'Tow, under such troubles as these, troubles which answer 
such valuable endc, he who is the * hope of Israel," is, also, their 
saviour and supporter. He supports them in a variety of ways. 
First and prioc ; pal!y by his presence: *'fear not, for I have 
redeemed thee : ! have called thee by name, thou art mine. When 
thou parse*-:! tfrfou^fe the waters I will be with thee; and through 
the rivers, they e'r W rol overflow thee; when thou walkest through 
the fire, thou sh&W net k burnt; neither shall the flame kindle 
upon thee : for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy 
Saviour," I|fr. y '■,<'<. 1.2. 44 Though I walk through the valley 
of die ; 1 1. ;. - k& says David, "I will fear no evil: foi 
the?- a»t with :ii thy rod and thy staif comfort me," Psa. xxiii. 4. 
He ivas with .Dante? in the lions' den, with Shadrach, Meshach, 
and Abed-nego, in the burning fiery furuace, with Paul and Silas, 
in the dungeon at Philippi, and with our departed brother in his 
long and paiaful afiiieiiovj. " I have found," says he, " by experi- 
ence, in passing through a long succession of painful and trying 
dreuaistances, and probably snail, till mortality is swallowed up of 
life, that the soul, in those seasons of severe conflict aod suffering, 
stands la need of much support and consolation ; which, howeve-i. 



REV PEARD DICKINSON. 



319 



Oil some occasions, are withheld, for the trial of our faith and 
patience. But at length we find the Lord J esus stretching forth 
his gracious hand to save us from sinking, as he did his disciple, 
whose unbelieving fears had well nigh overwhelmed him in the 
mighty waters. 

11. As the Lord is present with his people in and by his Spirit^ . 
SB that Spirit supports them by inspiring them with fortitude, peace, 
joy, and by infusing into their souis consolation, abounding iu pro- 
portion as their afflictions abound. So it was with our brother. 
f: The Spirit of God," says he, in one of his MSS, " has often been 
pleased to relieve my soul in different ways, sometimes by sud- 
denly infusing divine life and joy within me; at others, by bringing 
many of the precious truths contained iu the word of God to my 
remembrance; aQd at other seasons, by powerfully applying the 
promises." On this point our deceased frieud enlarges as follows ; 
* f there are few sources of consolation to be compared to the scrip- 
tures. The animating and glorious views of the gospel, and its 
divine author, which we meet with in different parts of the word 
of God, have frequently afforded me much strength. After I bad 
been much oppressed in spirit, the following words were, for a 
considerable while, particularly blessed to me. 'For the mountains 
shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my loving-kindness 
shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace 
be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee,' Isaiah liv. 
10. At another season, after several days of extreme pain and 
languor, my soul was revived by these precious words, « but thou, 
Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have choseu, the seed of 
Abraham my friend: fear thou not, fori am with thee; be not 
dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will 
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness,' l=a. xli. 8, 
10. At another time, when being oppressed with pain, I, for a 
moment was tempted to think the present dispensation hard, my 
soul was silenced by these words, which I met with on opening 
the scriptures, 1 that no man should be moved by these afflictions: 
for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For 
verily, when we were with you, we told you before, that we should 
suffer tribulation ; even as it came to pass, and ye know,' 1 Thess. 
iii. 3, 4. In the midst of a bitter and trying night, my soul wa* 
relieved by the triumphant language of the 36th Psalm, '0 give 



320 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious : his mercy endureth for 
ever." There are no sources of consolation indeed to be compared 
to the scriptures. Here to a believer, all the promises of God are 
* yea and amen in Christ Jesus the apostolical epistles have 
afforded much encouragement to my faith, and have often enlivened 
my hope, those especially of that disciple whom Jesus loved ; 
those by Simon Peter, who was an eye-witness of his majesty, when 
he heard a voice from the excellent glory, ' this is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased.' And those animating and 
glorious views of the gospel, and its divine author, contained in the 
epistle to the Hebrews, have also been made to administer to mc 
consolation and steadfastness in the faith. So much has this pre- 
cious part of the word of life been blessed to my soul, that I could 
wish my brethren in Christ, into whose hands these lines may fall, 
might partake of the same consolation. Indeed it has refreshed 
and delighted my soul, at a time when almost every other source 
of consolation failed." 

12. It appears from what has been advanced in the preceding 
part of the discourse, that the words of our text were remarkably 
exemplified in the experience of our brother departed. He had 
his times of severe trial and trouble, but Jehovah was his hope 
and his Saviour in them all, and that to the very last. Nay, and 
the Lord was never more manifestly with him than in the conclu- 
ding scene of his afflicted life : thus verifying our poet's words; 

" The chamber where the good man meets his fate 
Is privileged beyond the common walk 
Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of heaven. 1; 

You doubtless expect me to give you some account of this, and I 
shall not disappoint your expectation. I shall inform you how he 
died) when I have first given you some better idea how he lived % 
that you may " mark the perfect man, and behold the upright," 
and then observe that " the end of that man is peace;" and be 
hereby excited to greater zeal and diligence in your endeavours to 
follow him and others " who through faith and patience inherit the 
promises." For, as our esteemed brother observed in a letter to 
an intimate friend in January last, "when the church militant 
mourns the loss of her members, and adores the Redeemer's power 
and grace in bringing ^hem through sufferings to glory; she should 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON. 



321 



foe careful, at the same time, to instruct the survivors iu some 
important duties of the christian life, and to animate them, with 
increasing vigour to press towards the mark for the prize of their 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Were these things properly- 
kept in view, our funeral sermons might answer the most valuable 
ends." I pray that mine may answer such an end this evening; 

1. The Rev. Peard Dickinson was born at Topsham, a small 
sea-port town near Exeter, on the 16th of November, 1758. His 
parents, he informs us, had not only a sincere regard for vital 
religion, but the deepest veneration for the inspired writings, and 
constantly endeavoured to impress the minds of their children, of 
whjm they had several, with the same. The care of his heavenly 
Father was repeatedly manifested towards Mr. Dickinson in his 
childhood, in preserving him amidst many and great dangers, 
which must, otherwise, have proved fatal to him. This he notices 
with gratitude in the memoirs which he has left of his life, quoting 
ihe following verse: 

u Through every period of my life, 
Thy goodness I'll pursue j 
And after death in distant worlds, 
The pleasing- theme renew." 

2. When very young he manifested a solemn and constant regard 
to truth, and a great abhorrence of all dissimulation and falsehood, 
He also discovered a merciful disposition, and a detestation of 
every species of cruelty, together with an inclination to speak and 
act towards others, in all respects, as he would wish them to speak 
and act towards him. These, with some general leading principles 
of religion, were frequently inculcated upon him and the other chil- 
dren, by his parents ; and it appears were not inculcated in vain. 
Through the divine blessing they had great iufluence upon his 
heart and life : he also increased in kuowledge; for his father, who 
was then in the excise, and had leisure for it, devoted a great deal 
of time to the instruction of his children in various branches of 
learning ; and his conversation abounding with allusions to history; 
and being attended with an air of piety and goodness, was a' daily 
source of pleasure to Mr. Dickinson's mind. And while it was a 
mean of opening and invigorating the powers of his intellect, it so 

U r 



322 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



attached his heart and affections to his father, that he was ready to 
consider him as one of the wisest and best of men. 

3. He was initiated into the knowledge of the Latin and Greek 
languages at Tauuton, by the Rev. Joshua Toulman, A. M. under 
whom he made considerable proficiency in the knoAvledge of the 
Classics, and began greatly to relish their beauties. He was also 
indebted to this master, of whose method of education he speaks 5 it 
the highest terms, for some acquaintance with the principles of the 
Hebrew tongue, and, what was of still greater moment, for watch- 
ing over his morals with a paternal regard. He acknowledges, 
however, that he was, at this time, an entire stranger to himself, and 
that his spirit within him w r as alienated from GOD, the sovereign 
good. Nevertheless, he says, lie was often made to feel the force 
of keen reflection : for some transient beams of divine light occasion- 
ally broke in upon his mind, and discovered the darkness that 
reigned within. Hence, from a consciousness of the depravity of 
his nature, and the sinfulness of his life, his soul was often filled 
with terrible apprehensions of the divine displeasure. For young 
and unblameable as he might appear in the sight of those that did not 
know him, he was sensible that his inward parts were "very 
wickedness," and that he had frequently acted contrary to the 
clearest dictates of reason, and to the warning voice of God's word 
and Spirit. The consequence of; which was, that, at sometimes, he 
was a prey to inward remorse, and, at others, was overwhelmed 
with guilty dread. 

4. But although he says the divine Spirit strove with him from a 
child, so that, when only about four years of age, he repeatedly 
had an aw ful and solemn seuse of the presence and power of God, 
and of the certainty and eternal duration of a future state, whereby 
his infant mind was often drawn to pray ; yet it was not till he was 
about fifteen years of age, that a work of genuine repentance took 
place in his soul. Of this he speaks in the following terms: this 
dreadful dispensation forms one of the most memorable eras of my 
life, and was attended with circumstances that can never be effaced 
from my memory, God, the searcher oj ' hearts, and the recorder of 
past offences, at this time brought all my sins to my remembrance, 
and gave me such a conviction of their aggravated guilt and deme- 

that my soul fainted within me. He, whose mercy and grace I 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON 



323 



bed abused from my infant years, now appeared inexorable, and 
regardless of my cries and groans, which I poured out before him 
io secret. He was represented to my awakened conscience as a 
righteous judge, armed with vindictive justice and irresistible 
power, terrible as a lion that is ready to seize the prey, while no 
possibility of escape remained for my sinful soul. 

"In my distress I made a thousand vows and resolutions that I 
would instantly break off my sins and reform my life. But alas ! 
when I had the least intermission of my anguish, my corruptions 
again overpowered me. The arrows of the Almighty, therefore, 
continued to stick fast in me, in consequence of which I could take 
no rest night or day. In vain did I strive to relieve or amuse my 
troubled mind, by various pursuits and inventions: wherever I 
turned I met the anger of a righteous God, and sunk beneath the 
terrors of his justice." 

5. His health, in a short time, was deeply affected by these 
things. The anguish of his mind, through a sense of the guilt and 
power of his sins, and of the displeasure of God, was followed by a 
severe iutermitting fever. Death began to stare him in the face, 
and the great gulf yawned, as it were, ready to swallow him up, 
while Satan and his angels were permitted, in various ways, to 
buffet and torment him. 

" Sometimes," says he, " I wished I had never been born. I 
would have given ten thousand worlds, had my existence been as 
short in its duration as that of the fowls of the air, and as perishable 
as the flowers of the field. Again I trembled at the thought of the 
extinction of my being; and the annihilation of my immortal 
spirit seemed insupportable. Often did I cast an anxious glance at 
the <Jays in which the Son of God dwelt on earth, and thought, had 
I lived then, surely I would have cast myself at his feet, and per- 
haps he would have had compassion on my sorrows. But God, 
who intended to make me an unworthy witness of his justice and of 
his grace to others, and was giving me repentance unto life, con- 
tinued to wound me yet deeper, for the time of my deliverance was 
not yet come." 

6. The disorder, after continuing some weeks, having abated, he 
endeavoured to resume his usual attention to, and delight in study ; 
but in vain. Horace and Homer had lost their charms. To 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



relieve his distress he walked into the fields 5 but they were stripped 
their verdure, and, 

c ; " darken'd down 

To naked waste, — a dreary vale of tears." 

If he said " my bed shall comfort me, and my couch shall ease my 
complaint, then he was scared by dreams, and terrified by visioDs." 
In short, he was for a long time without any hope of mercy, and 
proved the propriety and importance of the inquiry made by the 
wise man, «' The spirit of a man may sustain his infirmity, but a 
wounded spirit who can bear ?" 

7. He continued, however, to cry unto God with his voice, and 
poured out his groans incessantly before him. Yet his heart, he 
say?, seemed as hard as adamant. He now began to see that if ever 
he were saved it must be an act of almighty power, and through 
the riches of divine grace. It is to be observed, that those convic- 
tions thus salutary, thus deep, were effected by the Spirit of God 
alone, without the agency of any mortal man whatever. Although 
he was still a stranger to the peace of God, yet his life was now 
actually reformed, and there was a sedateness in his conduct, and a 
seriousness in his whole deportment, which were noticed by all who 
saw him. 

8. It was a happy circumstance that Mr. D. had been accus- 
tomed to hear the scriptures read daily in his father's family, with 
some of the most excellent writings of the Puritan divines. These 
had frequently conveyed important instruction to his mind, and 
* c The Saints' Everlasting Rest," and the Accounts of the Martyrs, 
had particularly struck him. And although the truths contained in 
ihem had often been regarded with too much indifferency, God now 
brought them to his remembrance, and they appeared peculiarly 
precious to him. He had, also, frequently heard of the apostolical 
lives and labours of those great men Messrs. Wesley and White- 
field, and had read some of their journals. And the reproaches 
cast upon them by an evil world, notwithstanding their exemplary 
lives, and unparalleled labours, convinced him that they were the 
messengers of the Most High, and the witnesses of Jesus. He had 
also met with two or three of their followers, and was struck with 




REV. PEARB DICKINSON. 



325 



' the calmness and benevolence of their tempers, and with the piety 
that appeared in their whole deportment, so that he was secretly 
charmed with them, and could have cast himself at their feet. 

9. Through these means he got a great accession of light and 
strength. He began to see that there was mercy even for him, and 
that he might be made a new creature. Hope began to take place 
in his mind, and peace dawned with increasing brightness upon his 
soul. This gracious dispensation took place when he was about 
sixteen years of age, and it was now time to determine what line of 
life he was to follow. His father's first intention, it seems, was to 
place him with a surgeon at Taunton, who was a distant relation, 
and a man of grave deportment, and excellent morals, although des- 
titute of vital religion. This plan, however, was frustrated through 
a design the gentleman had formed of gradually retiring from 
business. For this, Mr. Dickinson, in the account of his life 
above-mentioned, expresses much thankfulness to God, observing, 
that had he been placed there, it probably would have been very 
injurious to the work of grace now beginning to take place in his 
soul ; as the number of gay and thoughtless acquaintance with 
which he would have been surrounded at Taunton, would have 
poured on him such a torrent of ridicule and persecution, as proba- 
bly would have been more than his young and inexperienced soul 
could have borne. His father's next thoughts were to send him to 
Christ's Church College at Oxford ; and this design would, proba- 
bly, have been carried into execution, had not the account which 
Dr. Kennicot gave his father of the expense that would attend it, 
dissuaded him from it, conceiving that, as his circumstances then 
were, he could not do it without injuring his other children. 

At this Mr. D. was then much grieved, having a great desire to 
make progress in learning, and to be employed in the ministry. 
However, afterwards he saw cause to thank God for this disappoint-, 
ment also, having reason to believe, that Oxford was a place but ill 
suited to his then state of mind; and that had he gone there at that 
age, he would have been exposed to connexions which would have, 
been a snare to his piety and virtue. " Let my God, therefore," 
says he, " be glorified for this also s doubtless he thus preserved my 
soul from the fowler's snare, and the subtle designs of the old ser- 
pent,*' 



326 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



10. Soon after this, his father placed him in a family at Bristol, 
to learn the business of a Jeweller and Watch-Maker. He had 
not been above a day or two in this family, before he perceived 
that the good lady was a Methodist, and he was soon asked to ac- 
company her to a place of worship belonging to Mr. Wesley's 
connexion. " The service," says he, " was solemn : my soul was 
refreshed in waiting upon God, and I renewed my engagements to 
love and serve him, and returned with much serenity and joy.' 1 
He now soon became a member of Mr. Wesley's society, and by a 
diligent and solemn attendance on all the means of grace, his soul 
was gradually brought into a state of union with God, and the work 
of the Holy Spirit was deepened in his heart. Of this he speaks 
in the following manner : " In the course of a few months I began 
earnestly to seek the Spirit of adoption, by offering strong cries 
and tears unto God; and the coming of the Lord was now drawing 
oigh. One morning, after I had continued in prayer till near faint- 
ing, the Spirit of God descended like lightning from heaven, and, 
bore witness with my spirit, that I was his adopted child. I looked 
up to heaven with confidence, and from that moment I had a clear 
and divine evidence of the pardoning love of God; whom I was 
now emboldened to consider as my Father, in Jesus reconciled. 
The heavenly joy and peace which flowed in upon my believing 
soul, was so strong for some weeks, and my communion with God 
was so uninterrupted, that I could scarce keep my eyes from look- 
ing up to heaven incessantly. I seemed surrounded, penetrated, 
and filled with God. So great was the consolation afforded me, 
after the bitter distress which I had known during the time of my 
convictions, and the pangs of the new-birth. My soul flew with 
ardour to the ordinances of my God. The name of Jesus was 
as ointment poured forth : his titles, his characters, his offices^ 
appeared unspeakably lovely and glorious. 

" My Lord and my God ! my Jesus and my all !" was the lan- 
guage of my heart continually. He appeared most adorable, most 
lovely on account of his infinite holiness, as he is, * The Lord 
our Righteousness.' Little did I then suppose, that the strength 
of my faith, the ardour of my soul, the lively emotions of my joy. 
would ever subside* or suffer any abatement. It pleased God 
however, in due time, to instruct me in the doctrines of the cro?s 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON. 



327 



and to convince me of the necessity of being conformed to a cru- 
cified Jesus. Those words of the apostle, Ye are called, not only 
to believe on his name, but to suffer for his sake, were often pain- 
fully brought to my remembrance by the Spirit of God." 

11. The following spring he was visited by a malignant puirid 
fever, in which his life was long despaired of. " During this afflic- 
tion," says he, " my soul was sometimes inwardly and powerfully 
visited by a heart-searching God. While my spirit was hovering 
over the eternal world, God was searching and proving it, and i 
had a solemn conviction, that through Christ my Redeemer, I was 
acquitted before God. Yet I could not cease pondering in my 
heart these words of the apostle, * The righteous are scarcely 
saved.' " This dreadful and long-continued affliction so shook his 
constitution, which had been always weak, that he never after 
wards, (as he says,) recovered either his former health or spirits. 

12. As he was now effectually separated from the world, he had 
fellowship with the true disciples of Christ only, many of whom, 
he testifies, were dearer to him than his own life. He admired 
their gifts, he was edified and delighted with their heavenly con- 
versation, and reverenced the image of God, which he saw brightly 
impressed upon them. Some, indeed, he saw, who seemed to 
move at a vast distance from the Sun of Righteousness, and he 
pitied them, although he had reason to think they were secretly 
attracted by him. " The bare remembrance," says he, " of the 
blessings which I received among the people of God, during my 
stay at Bristol, fills my soul with gratitude and joy. I am refresh- 
ed at this hour Avith reviewing the many days of the Son of man, 
and the various out-pourings of the Holy Spirit that I witnessed 
among them. My heart is and will be inseparably united to my 
dear brethren, who often strengthened my hands by their faith, 
their sympathy, and their prayers; and I hope to spend a blessed 
eternity among them, for many of their names are, doubtless, in 
the Book of Life." 

13. It appears by all this, that the providence of God had 
brought him to Bristol for a wise design. Nevertheless, the busi- 
ness of a Watch- Maker, it seems, was not the employment designed 
him of God. The bent of his mind lay another way, and the 
attempt that was made for the space of four years, which was the 
term of his residence in Bristol, to force it to acquiesce therein 



£23 ON THE DEATH OF THE 

•» 

was utterly ia vain. His heart was set upon the pursuits of litera- 
ture, and the sacred work of the ministry of the gospel ; and he 
was sometimes grieved to think that all his time, in his present 
situation, was thrown away* This, however, was not the case. 
During these four tedious years, which, he says, appeared the 
longest of any in his whole life, he learned many important lessons, 
which probably he could not have learned so well any other way. 
He had many opportunities of considering the work of God in the 
human soul; in hearing from time to time the accounts which the 
people of God gave of their experience in divine things;, got a 
deeper insight into the corruptions of his own nature, and, what he 
always considered one of the greatest blessings of his life, became 
acquainted with some of the excellent of the earth- He was also, 
as he acknowledges, mercifully screened, during the most danger- 
ous period of his life, from the snares of an evil world, and the 
lusts of his own heart; whereas, had he been sent too soon to the 
University, it might have cost him many sorrows, and deprived him 
of all that he all along considered as most valuable in life. Add 
to this, that the many opportunities which he had of exercising his 
gift in prayer, of visiting the sick, and of being engaged in other 
spiritual duties, not only tended to increase his grace, but also to 
prepare him for the ministry, and were surely as important, in this 
view, as the knowledge of the languages or sciences. 

14. Mr. Dickinson had frequently signified to his father his 
dislike of business, and his desire of returning to his studies, and 
of devoting himself to the sacred ministry, to which he believed 
himself called. But, as his father wished him to follow the busi- 
ness to which he had been bound apprentice, it is likely he would 
not have obtained his desire, had it not been for the interference 
of a lady of large fortune, who was a relation of his father, who 
had great influence with him, and from whom he had great expec- 
tations. This lady was the sister of the late Oliver Peard, Esq. 
of Tiverton, who, dying intestate, left her in the full possession of 
one hundred and fifty thousand pounds. To this lady, by whose 
express desire, the name of Peard was given to Mr. Dickinson in 
baptism, he made a representation of his situation, and requested 
her interposition on his behalf. In the most prompt and obliging 
manner she complied with his request. She informed his father 
of his son's views and irrclinatipns, and at the same time signified 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON. 329 

that it was her wish he should go immediately to the University o 
Mr. Dickinsoo's father kuew that too much depended on his acqui- 
escence to make any objections. A plan, therefore, was soon 
arranged for his leaving his place at Bristol, and going to Oxford^ 
where he was entered a Commoner at Edmund-Hall, in 1779. 

15. Mr. Dickinson, while at the University, was diligent in his 
studies, for assistance and success in which he 1 ailed not to look 
up to God in prayer. To strengthen his resolutions, and aid his 
endeavours in the pursuit of piety and learning, he formed an ac- 
quaintance with a select number of studious and religious persons 
of different Colleges. They frequently met at each other's rooms, 
and spent an hour or two agreeably, and in a way that was calcu- 
lated to promote each other's usefulness. They conversed together 
on subjects of a spiritual nature, as well as on those of literature, 
read the scriptures, and other books, and frequently joined in 
prayer for the divine blessing on their studies and undertakings., 
" It was in conversation with one of these gentlemen," says Mr« 
Dickinson. tw that I first saw the advantage of attempting to unite 
precision and accuracy of thought, and elegance of sentiment, with 
the ease and freedom of common conversation; a practice of un- 
speakable importance to those who are called to public stations in 
life." In the vacations, during the two first years, Mr. Dickin- 
son spent much of his time w ith the Eev. Mr. Browne, Vicar of 
Kingston, near Taunton, in Somersetshire, whose conversation and 
advice seem to have been of very singular use to him ; and of 
whose piety, learning, affability, and courteousness, he speaks in 
the most affectionate and grateful terms. 

16. In 1781, after a residence of about two years, he was 
removed from Edmund-Hali to Hertford College, and soon after, 
upon an application to the principal, obtained one of the two 
vacant studentships. His friend, Mr. Roquette, Commoner of 
Magdalen College, (son of the Rev. James Roquette, of Bristol,) 
by Mr. D 's advice, applied for, and obtained, the other. Thus 
it pleased God, to give him a friend to sojourn with him in that 
new College, from whose presence and conversation he received 
much additional strength and comfort. He soon found, however, 
that he should not be exempt from persecution for righteousness 
sake, and that he must maintain a continual warfare. But the 

S 6 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



Lord's promise was fulfilled, " As thy day is, so shall thy strength 
be." 

17. As the time of his examination for a Batchelor's degree drew 
near, he began to be anxious to pass it in a manner that would 
satisfy his own conscience, while it did honour to religion. He, 
therefore, not only studied diligently, but made it a matter of 
solemn and continual prayer to God, that he would be pleased to 
assist his endeavours, and enable him to -discharge his duty in such 
a manner that he might bring no reproach upon his profession. 
And, he says, that but few instances have occurred in his whole 
life, in which he ever witnessed a more clear and express answer 
to prayer. He went through his examination in the Classics with 
perfect recollection and precisiou, and answered the various ques- 
tions asked him, in the Liberal Ar:s, with promptitude and clear- 
ness, to the entire satisfaction of his examiners ; while a gentleman 
of talents and application, and also of piety, who was examined 
with him, and was, previous to his examination, full of confidence? 
was exceedingly embarrassed and coufcunded. In this he piously 
acknowledges the hand of God. 

18. Mr. Dickinson's future vacations, during his continuing in 
the University, were spent in Londou, where, by Mr. Wesley's 
recommendation, he lodged in the house of that most eminent ser- 
vant and saint of God, G. Clark. In this family he saw r nothing 
but that order, harmony, and happiaess which the religion of Jesus 
inspires, and w as led forward to a deeper acquaintance with the 
things of God. 

Mr. Wesley also, frequently took him with him when he went 
to visit the siek, aud introduced him to some of the most excellent 
persons in his Society. At the same time he gave him much ex- 
cellent advice respecting his studies, and his preparation for the 
ministry. 

19. In the summer of 1782, he took his Batchelor's degree, aud 
afterwards began to think seriously concerning the nature and 
various duties of the pastoral office, and to inquire into the evi- 
dences of his call to undertake it. These, he states with great- 
clearness in the above-mentioned memoirs, and then observes^ 
"After much self-examination and prayer before the heart-search- 
ing God, it appeared that he had wrought a willingness in wy 



HEV. PEARD DICKINSON. 



331 



'soul to subscribe to every condition that could be suggested by rear 
mn, conscience, or revelation, a id I fell no reluctance whatever, to 
live uader the habitual i fluence of those solemn obligations, when- 
ever it might please God, in his providence, to call me to the 
work." 

20. In the fall of the year 1 782, the prospect of returning to his 
friends in London, filled his soul with joy and comfort. " The 
winter," says he, " was crow ned with a profusion of spiritual 
blessings. Never did I enjoy a more habitual sense of the divine 
presence and blessing, and, perhaps, never was enabled to walk 
more circumspectly in my whole life, being continually employed 
in watchfulness and prayer. My soul pressed with vigour 
towards the mark for the prize of my high calling, and I sought 
incessantly, and at length obtained, a larger baptism of the Holy 
Spirit. My days and nights passed swiftly and pleasantly in com- 
munion with God. I found that even sleep is no impediment to the 
operation of the divine Spirit; who can, with infinite ease, commu- 
nicate his gracious influences to the souls of men in the time of rest, 
and suspended sensation ; and with no less power and sovereign 
efficacy than when the organs of sense are impressed with outward 
objects, and the body, as well as soul, is engaged in a state of exer- 
tion and activity." 

21. Early in the year 1783, he received a providential call to 
labour among a people, who, for above half a century, had en- 
joyed the light of the gospel, and been favoured with the ministry 
of that venerable saint of God, and faithful labourer in his Lord's 
vineyard, the Rev. Mr. Perronet, the aged vicar of Shoreham, in 
Kent, a man as remarkable for his piety, benevolence, wisdom, and 
simplicity, as almost any that have appeared in the church of 
Christ during the present century. But, as the clergyman that 
then officiated as curate in this parish stood engaged to Mr. Perro- 
net for some months longer, Mr. Dickinson thought it most advisa- 
ble to return to Oxford, and spend the interval in forwarding his 
business for the degree of Master of Arts, to which, he succeeded 
about two years after, at the time fixed by the statutes of the 
University. 

22. As the time approached when he was to appear as a candi- 
date for the sacred office, before the Archbishop of Canterbury, m 



332 ON THE DEATH OF THE 

whose jurisdiction Shoreham lay, he was occasionally harassed 
with painful apprehensions, having heard much of the difficulties 
which some excellent men had met with in similar circumstances. 
The providence of God, however, dealt tenderly with him in this 
respect, and his fears were groundless. He found the Primate 
much more gentle and unassuming than persons of far inferior sta- 
tions often are. He was treated with kindness, and as the Arch- 
bishop, who was but just come to the see of Canterbury, did not 
hold an Ordination this season, he very readily and obligingly fur- 
nished him with " Letters Bimissory," to the bishop of Lincoln, 
by whom, on Sunday, June 16, 1783. he was admitted to Dea- 
con's orders, and, as he expressed it, " took the vows of his God 
upon him." His ordination was not considered by him in the 
light in which many candidates for holy orders consider it, viz. as 
a mere ceremony. He viewed it in a very important light indeed, 
and judged, that by this " one voluntary, deliberate, and irrevoca- 
ble act," as he terms it, he was laying himself under an indispen- 
sable obligation to devote himself and his ail to the service of his 
Redeemer, during the residue of his days, in the work of the 
ministry. His mind was recollected, and his heart fixed, during 
the solemn service, for such he accounted it; and, immediately after 
it was ever, he hasted to Spkalfields Chapel to assist at the sacra- 
ment, and in the afternoon read prayers at Mr. Romaine's church, 
St. Ann's, Biackfriars. A few days afterward?, taking leave of 
his London friends, he removed to Shoreham, that he might fulfil 
his engagements, and labour in the place to which Providence had 
now called him. Here, in the Parish church, he preached twice 
next Lord's day, and in the evening attended Mr. Perronet's 
ministry in the vicarage-house. He had but few 7 opportunities, 
after this, of hearing Mr. Perronet, as from his great age, and 
increasing infirmities, soon after Mr. Dickinson's coming, he was 
obliged to desist from preaching. The whole labour, therefore, of 
reading prayers, preaching, f.dministeriug the sacrament, &c. fell 
on Mr. D. whpse custom it was. on the Lord's day, to preach in 
the morning in the church, and in the evening in the house, and 
in the afternoon service to expound the lessons. 

23. He continued to be the curate at Shoreham till Mr. Perro- 
net's death, which happened at last rather suddenly and unexpect- 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON. 



333 



edly. about two years after, viz. May 9, 1785. It is true his 
weakness for a considerable time had been increasing, but a little 
before his death he appeared better than usual. His cheerfulness 
was remarkable, and his communion with God seemed to be unin- 
terrupted. On the close of Sunday, May the 8th, a day on which 
the divine Spirit had been poured out in a remarkable manner upon 
the people under the word, before they returned to their own 
houses, Mr. Perronet conversed with some of them and blessed them 
in the usual manner. This was the last time, for before the sun 
arose next morning, his spirit had taken its everlasting flight. 

24. The parishioners, scon after Mr. P.'s death, presented a peti- 
tion to the Dear, and Chapter of Westminster, in whom the right 
of presentation was vested, with a view to obtain the living for Mr. 
Dickinson. But it was thought proper to give it to the son of one 
of the prebends, a person of a very different character from Mr. 
Perronet. Mr. Dickinson, however, continued to officiate for some 
time after the induction of the new incumbent, determined uot to 
quit his charge, till the providence of God evidently authorized him 
so to do. This was the case uear the close of the year, when the 
new vicar met with a curate more after his own Lean. Mr. D. 
therefore, now took leave of the people of Shoreham, although not 
without considerable reluctance, as (hey were much eudeared to 
him. He spent two or three months after this, in assisting the Rev, 
Mr. Davenport, vicar of Ratcliir-upou-Tient, near Nottinghairij 
and early in the following spring, 1786, accepted an invitation to 
be curate to the Rev. Mr. Dodwell, a pious clergyman, rector of 
Welby. in Lincolnshire, who had the care of two large parishes. 
Here Mr. Dickinson remained, and laboured diligently, till, at Mr. 
Wesley's request, he came to reside in Loudon, which, I think, was 
in the middle of July, in the year 1786. 

25. April 30, 1788, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Briggs, 
daughter of the late Mr. William Briggs, of London, and grand- 
daughter to the Rev. Mr. Perronet above-mentioned. u That 
venerable man," says he, "haci often prayed that God would bless 
our union. It is now (in 1799,) between eleven and twelve years 
since our hands were joined together, and during this whole time 
we have enjoyed an uninterrupted state of happiness. So hath 
God dealt with us even in this state of trial. We have had four 



334 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



children, three sods, and one daughter, but as we were in no small 
danger ef placiug our affections too much upon them, it pleased 
God to take them to himself. One of them was permitted to stay 
with us about eight months. His stay, though short, was sufficient 
to fill our hearts with anguish at parting with him. But though 
good children (adds he) afford much comfort to their pareuts, they 
are certainly strong ties to earth, and afford no small anxiety to 
those who are so deeply interested in their welfare." 

26. Mr. Dickinson always accounted it one of the greatest bless- 
ings of his life, that he was made acquainted with the Rev. Mr. Wes- 
ley audit's preachers, and brought into connexion with his societies. 
44 In reviewing," says he. " the mercies of my God, during the period 
of the last forty years, I could not but be sensibly affected with the 
goodness of God towards me, in that I was born in Britain, at a 
time when the last great revival of religion was flourishing in full 
vigour; that I was not only permitted to have a personal knowledge 
of the chief instruments M ho were employed in carrying on this 
great work, but what is stilt more important, that I should have 
been permitted to share its blessings. And though the first instru- 
ments, chosen by God to begin the work, are all taken to their eter- 
nal rest, yet such has been the goodness and compassion of him 
with whom is the residue of the Spirit, that many have since been 
raised up, who follow the faith, simplicity, and seal of their great 
predecessors." 

27. How faithfully and diligently he laboured among you, all 
these years, 1 need not say, nor how holily, and justly, and un- 
blameably, he behaved himself. Ye are witnesses, and God also, that 
his conversation was, at all times, and in all respects, as becometh 
the gospel. He was serious, watchful, and circumspect; hum- 
ble, meek, and gentle; benevolent and kind, temperate and 
devout. Above all, his patience, and resignation, under a very 
long, painful, and most complicated affliction, has been most exem- 
plary and almost unparalleled. Never, I believe, was a murmur- 
ing or unkind word heard to fall from his lips, or an impatient or 
fretful look observed in his countenance ; but confidence in God, 
tranquillity of mind, resignation of will, meekness of spirit, with 
gentleness and long-suffering, were the habitual tempers of his 
soul 



KEV. PEARD DICKINSON. 



335 



s * I should not think myself worthy," says lie, (on a slip of paper 
which I found among his MSS.) " to bear the uame of a disciple of 
Jesus, if I had not learned to be kind to all men; nor shall I think 
that any man has attained much of his Lord's spirit, who has not 
universal benevolence to all mankind, and who cannot act the part, 
wherever prudence permits, of a brother towards his friends and 
towards his enemies. This may seem a high attainment, and so it is ; 
yet all this, and more, is required by the gospel of the Son of God. 
May my future life be spent at my Redeemer's feet, in learning 
this and every other lesson of his grace, till, having fully put on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, I may with joy be finally received into his 
everlasting kingdom !" 

28. During his long and severe affliction, many of you were in 
the habit of calling occasionally upon him, and can attest the truth 
of my testimony concerning him. I appeal to you, whether you did 
not always find him resigned, composed, and possessed of a hope 
full of immortality, and frequently rejoicing in that hope with joj 
unspeakable and full of glory. Many were the instructive and 
edifying remarks which he made, and many the comfortable and 
encouraging words which dropped from his lips, although frequently 
in the midst of pain and anguish, that might have exhausted the 
patience of an apostle. But 

** His God sustain'd him in his final hour, 
His final hour brought glory to his God." 

According to the words of our text, "the hope of Israel in whom he 
trusted," and who never left nor forsook him, was " his Saviour in 
the time of trouble," and he w r as enabled to acquiesce fully in 
whatever appeared to be the divine will concerning him. 

The following fine lines of the poet, which 1 find inscribed with 
his own hand, on the title page of the memoirs of his life, were 
fully exemplified in him : With the patriarch's joy, 

"Thy call I follow to the land unknown : 
I trust in thee, and know in whom I trust : 
Or life or death is equal ; neither weighs, 
All weight in this — let me live to thee! r 



336 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



29. But you shall hear the testimony of one who attended 
him all along, and was with him night and day. The dear part- 
ner of his joys and sorrows, now left to mourn the loss of him who 
was accustomed to soothe her distresses, and help her to bear her 
burdens, writes as follows : 

"May 19, 1802. 

« Bear Sir, 

" My mind has been so deeply and continually afflicted during 
this suffering season, that it is not easy to collect my thoughts suffi- 
ciently to give you the account you desire of my beloved husband. 

"For many months God was sensib ! y preparing h:m for the last 
trying scene, aud he was particularly led to consider, and thirst after, 
the faith which Abraham possessed, 'when he staggered cot at the 
promise of God, through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving 
glory to God:" 1 he also frequently expressed earnest desires after 
more of the spirit of praise and thauksgiving, often repeating those 
lines of our hymn, 

4 1 cannot praise thee as I would, 
But thou art merciful and good.' 

And considering the length and severity of his sufferings, I never 
saw any one who appeared to be so * strengthened according to the 
glorious power of the Lord, unto all patience and long-suffering, 
with joyfulness.' 

" On Wednesday, April 28, he was seized with a violent shivering 
fit, which was followed by a strong fever. Many fits rapidly suc- 
ceeded the first, till he was reduced to a state of the most extreme 
weakness, which prevented his conversing much with any one, yet 
what he did say at different times, could w T e recollect it, would fill 
many pages. 

'"On Sunday, May 2, when he was supposed to be very near 
death, I asked him if he had any particular advice to give me, he 
replied, ' Only live near to God, live looking unto Jesus, live much 
in the spirit of prayer, and beware of carnal, Corinthians,' meaning, 
as 1 well understood, half-hearted professors, those who are neither 
cold nor hot. 

" May 5, waking out of a slumber after a fit, he said, 4 1 see a 
great multitude engaged in the worship of God, and I shall be with 



REV, PEARD DICKINSON 



337 



them.' Once, on my saying, * perhaps you may revive again, and 
be able to come into the dining-room,' he replied, * I shall go to the 
upper courts above.' At another time he spake nearly as follows, 
<I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, 
though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and 
believeth in me, shall never die. Believest thou this ? Yea, Lord, 
I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.' And then, ad- 
dressing himself to me, he added, 1 The Lord is thy keeper, the 
Lord is thy shade on thy right hand, the Lord shall preserve thee 
from all evil, he shall preserve thy soul ; I speak this to you, my 
dear.' 

" On May 9, he repeated with much earnestness, 1 Pet. i. 6, 7. 
4 Ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, (if need be,) ye are 
in heaviness through manifold temptations; that the trial of your 
faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though 
it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and 
glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ : and then added, 1 Unto 
you who believe he is precious.' He frequently said, ' To me to 
live 3$ Christ, to die is gain.' At one time he repeated these lines t 

1 My God! the spring- of all my joys, 
The life of my delights, 
The glory of my brightest days, 
And comfort of my nights ! 

* In darkest shades if thou appear, 
My dawning is begun : 
Thou art my soul's bright morning-star^ 
And thou my rising sun '.' 

« On Tuesday, May 11, in the midst of a violent lit, I heard him 
whisper, ' We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost 
sheep,' I said, ' But are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop 
of our souls,' he immediately replied, in broken words, with great 
energy, * It was all of grace, free mercy in Christ Jesus.' After 
the fever abated that evening, and he began a little to revive, his 
soul was abundantly filled with divine consolation ; he seemed at 
a loss to express the joy he felt, his love to Christ, or his views 
of God's boundless mercy and infinite compassion: he said, 'I 
Seem all happiness.' Notwithstanding, the fever frequently con 

T t 



ON THE DEATH OF THE 



fused his thoughts, and affected his recollection, a strength of inte! 
Icct appeared almost to the last that was amazing. 

" During one of the following nights, he cried out, 4 O happy, 
happy spirits, I see you, I see you all, and I am coming to you^ 
They are waiting for me, and I must go,' aud clappiug his hands* 
he shouted, ' Victory, victory, my Jesus, and my all !' To one of 
his nurses, he said, ' For Christ's sake, make sure of an interest in 
him ; it is neither Paul, nor Apollos, nor Cephas, nor any other 
creature, but Jesus Christ, the corner-stone; build upon him as the 
sure foundation.' While taking a little refreshment, I perceived 
him deeply engaged in prayer, and distinctly heard the following 
words: 4 That an abundant entrance may be administered unto us 
into the eternal kingdom.' Soon after he said to me, 4 The Lord 
give you the bread of life.' I answered, * I am sure he will give 
it you, and I trust I shall partake of it;' he replied, 4 1 doubt not 
but you will,' and spoke with sweet confidence of our being mutual 
partakers of the blessings of the kingdom. 

" He several times bore testimony to the strength and spirituality 
of our union; that it was not a common union, or a union that 
would be dissolved by death : on the contrary, that it would only 
be strengthened and refined, and that in the heavenly world wc 
should meet to be eternally reunited. 

" To one of the nurses that attended him, he said, 'I have not a 
shadow of doubt, my evidence is as clear as the noon-day sun !' 
At another time, 4 I have nothing but glory and heaven in my view; 
my heart is full of God; my cup runneth over!' He told her he 
should ' be glad to leave some further dying testimony, that his 
friends might be satisfied, but that he was so low he could not 
converse with them ;' she replied, 4 You have given us prooi 
enough ;' 6 then,' said he, 4 tell them God is love : I know aud feel 
him so !' Having had a very severe fit, and being extremely weak 
after it, he said, 4 What a mercy it is that the Lord careth for the 
righteous!' a person present replied, ' He does, and it shall be well 
with them ;' 4 Yes,' said he, f well, for ever and ever, glory be to 
God !' The nurse giving him a little drink, with his hands clasped, 
aud his eyes lifted up to heaven, he entreated her to love the Lord 
Jesus with her whole heart : 4 O,' said he, 4 the sinner's friend ! 
never forget the sinners friend !' 

" May the 1 4th, in the eveuiug, he appeared very earnestly en- 
gaged in prayer, but I could only hear these words, 4 Lord, make 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON. 



339 



us wise unto salvation !' On my going to him, he said, (wiih pecu- 
liar tenderness taking my hand,) ' My dear love, sweet is thy voice 
to me : God bless you.' These were the last words he spoke to 
me, for a fit presently came on, which was followed by a very pain- 
ful and restless night. 

" On May the 15th, after being in extreme pain, when we thought 
him past speaking, about two o'clock in the afternoon he opened 
his eyes ; and as the nurse was giving him a little wine with a tea- 
spoon, he suddenly stopped her, and pointing with his finger 
upwards, he said, 4 Hark, do you not hear ? they are come for me i 
I am ready, quite ready.' A few minutes after, she spoke to him 
again, he said, k Stop, say nothing but glory, glory !' These wei£ 
the last words he ever spoke. After a very painful struggle, which 
lasted more than four hours, his happy spirit took its flight, about 
25 minutes past 7 o'clock in the evening." 



SERMON XVI, 



ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given : and the govern- 
ment shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall be called 
Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Fa- 
ther, the Prince of Peace. Isaiah ix. 6. 

i. The close connexion which these words have with the pre- 
ceding will be easily perceived by those who advert to the history 
of the times to which the prophet refers . Tbecountry of Zebu- 
lun, Naphtali, and Galilee, had been the first, and greatly afflicted 
and debased, by the Assyrian invasion under Tiglath-pileser ; and 
it is foretold, in the foregoing verses, that it should be first, and 
peculiarly blessed and exalted, by the light of the gospel, in con- 
sequence of the coming of the long-expected Messiah. I shall 
give you the sense of the passage according to the elegant and just 
translation of the prophet's words, by bishop Lowth, a translation 
siuTiciently defended in the instructive notes which he hath annex- 
ed to that admirable work. '* There shall not hereafter fchap, ix, 



342 



ON THE NATIVITY* 



1, 2,) be darkness in the land which was distressed," viz. by the 
invasion of the enemy. " In the former time he debased the land 
of Zebulun, and the land of ]N"aphtali, but in the latter time he 
hath made it glorious : even the way of the sea beyond Jordan, 
Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have 
seen a great light:" that is, the light of the gospel, termed by 
Zacharias, the inspired father of John the Baptist, " The day- 
spring from on high, giving light to them that sat in darkness, and 
in the region of the shadow of death," evidently alluding to this 
passage in Isaiah, for the prophet's next words are, " They that 
dwelled in the shadow of death, unto them hath the light shined." 

2. The prophet proceeds, " Thou hast multiplied the nation,"' 
viz. the inhabitants of that country which the Assyrians had depo- 
pulated. It appears from Josephus, that Galilee was very popu 
lous in his time, and, it is probable, that it began to flourish and 
exceed the rest of Judea in number of inhabitants, soon after the 
return from the Babylonish captivity. But perhaps, " by multi- 
plying the nation" here, may be rather meant, iLcreasing the num- 
ber of the true people of God, by the many converts that should 
be made in those parts to the faith of the gospel, through the 
ministry and miracles of Christ, who spent much of his time, and 
had many disciples there. The next words, according to the 
Bishop's translation, who follows the reading of the margin, instead 
of that in the text of the Hebrew Bible, are, " Thou hast increased 
their joy," for the gospel was glad tidings of great joy to them : 
" They rejoice before thee as with the joy of harvest ; as they 
rejoice who divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, the 
staff laid on his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, hast thou bro- 
ken, as in the day of Midian." A staff or rod, being an emblem 
of authority, is frequently put for a stroke or blow, inflicted by a 
superior, and therefore, for the oppressions of a tyrannical power. 
Here it signifies, the oppressions of those conquerors whom God 
made the instruments of his vengeance against the Jews for their 
gins. But it is foretold in these words, that God's people should 
be delivered from these oppressions, which they accordingly were 
on their return from captivity. And as may, perhaps, be also 
intended, those of their posterity who embraced the gospel, were 
thereby delivered from the bondage they had been under to their 
spiritual enemies, and from the miseries they had suffered in cor^ 



OF CHRIST. 



343 



sequence thereof. Now this deliverance, it is here signified, was 
to be effected, as the victory of Gideon over the Midianities, by 
the immediate hand of God. " For," adds the prophet) " the 
greaves of the armed warrior, in the conflict, and the garment 
rolled in much blood, shall be for a burning, even fuel for the fire.^ 
In other words, the instruments of war and slaughter shall be 
totally destroyed, and peace and harmony shall take place, and 
be established. Then follow the words of my text, " For unto us 
a child is born," &c. So that the prophet haviug predicted the 
great and extraordinary blessings of light and joy, victory and 
deliverance, that should be conferred on Galilee and other parts 
of Judea, proceeds in these words, in a sort of ecstacy and trans- 
port, to describe the cause ef these inestimable benefits. And he 
signifies that they should be conferred in consequence of " the ap- 
pearance of a very singular person, that should be born among 
them, endued with very extraordinary qualities, — qualities that 
would not only exalt him above all the kings of Judah that had 
ever appeared, but would show him to be more than man" 

3. It is with great propriety that our church appoints this pas- 
sage of scripture to be read in the service fixed for this day, a day 
kept in commemoration of the birth of Christ. For that the Mes- 
siah, and the Messiah only, is here meant, is agreed among inter- 
preters of note, whether Jewish or Christian. The ancient 
Hebrew Doctors, and particularly the Chaldee Paraphrast, the 
most noted of them all, understood the words in this light. Al- 
though it must be acknowledged, that some later Jewish teachers 
out of their enmity to Jesus of Nazareth, whom they will not 
acknowledge to be the Messiah, wrest them from their true and 
obvious meaning, and endeavour, though vainly, to apply them to 
Hezekiah. It is a happy circumstance, however, that their extra- 
vagant interpretation, which, indeed, has no foundation whatever 
in this or any other passage of scripture, is fully confuted by the 
glorious titles here enumerated, which, as a learned divine observes, 
are such " as cannot, without blasphemy and nonsense, be applied 
to Hezekiah, or any other mere mortal." 

4. Indeed it is absurd to suppose that the prophet should form 
such ideas of any future king of Judah, or of any mere man, as to 
describe him in such lofty language, and attribute to him such 
Hiviue properties The best of their kings, even David and Sola- 



844 



ON THE NATIVITY 



mofl, had their failings, and were far from deserving any such ap* 
pellations as are here given to this extraordinary person. And 
whom could he hope to arise with greater virtue and endowment? 
than David and Solomon, especially at a time when the whole 
nation was so corrupt, that, as he himself had expressed it, " the 
whole head was sick, and the whole heart faint, and from the sole 
of the foot even to the head," from the lowest to the highest, "there 
was no soundness." He could not possibly have auy other in his 
view, but the great Messiah, Him that was to come; HIM for 
whom the kingdom was designed from the beginning, not only over 
the people of the Jews, but over the whole of the human race; who 
was to restore all things; who was to be head over all things, to be 
King of kings, and Lord of lords; who was to "establish judg- 
ment and righteousness in the earth, and for whose law the isles 
were to wait f and who was not only to govern men as inhabitants 
of the earth ; but was to exalt them to be inhabitants of heaven. 
To him, and to no other, does the inspired prophet's description 
accord, and to him only do these glorious epithets, and the quali- 
ties they express, belong. We shall consider the words in the 
order in which they lie, and observe, 

I. The person of the Messiah s he is the child bom, the son 
given. 

II. One of his important offices, the government shall be upon 
his shoulders. 

III. His qualifications for sustaining this important office, signi- 
fied in the titles here given him, his name shall be called wonder- 
ful, &c. 

And,* I. We are to consider the person of the Messiah. 

1. It is here foretold, that he was to be, not an angel, but a maw, 
a real man, conceived and born of a woman, and that he should 
thus become the offspring, as he was the Root of David. He took 
not on him the nature of angels, says the author of the epistle to 
the Hebrews, but he took on him the seed of Abraham, " Inasmuch 
as we were partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took 
part of the same." €< The word was made flesh and dwelt amon£ 



OF CHRIST. 



34i* 



us;'* " emptied himself put off the form of God, ia which he had 
subsisted before all worlds, and in which he had appeared in days 
of old, and took tc the form of a servant, being made in the likeness 
of men." 

2. Nor was it merely the likeness of men that he assumed ; but 
though more than man, yet he became very man, " of a reasonable 
soul, and human flesh subsisting." Though the Ancient of Days, 
he became an infant^ a child. « He grew in stature, yea, and in wis- 
dom, and even in favour with God and man." "The child grew 
and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and the grace of 
God was upon him." He was subject to all the innocent infirmi- 
ties of human nature. He felt hunger, thirst, weariness, pain. He 
ate, drank, slept. He was sensible of mere human affections, such 
as sorrow,* joy,f Iove,| anger,§ or grief, as it is explained, on 
account of the hardness of their hearts. He is represented as weak 
and ignorant of some things, not being able to do any thing of him- 
self, that is, in his mere human nature, and not knowing the day of 
judgment. He loved God, obeyed his commandments, and sought 
his glory. He frequently prayed to him, as to one that was able 
to save him. and once, in particular, " offered up prayers and sup- 
plications, with strong crying and tears, and was heard in that he 
feared."|| At that time, " he was sorrowful and very heavy," yea, 
his soul was " exceeding sorrowful, even unto death;" and having 
entreated his disciples to watch with him, he fell on his face, and 
prayed, saying, " O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass 
from me : not as I will, but as thou wilt." Again, " the second time 
lie prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away 
from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." And yet again, the 
third time, he prayed in the same words ; and when on the cross, 
he complained that he was forsaken of his Father. IT These, and 
such like passages, certainly demonstrate that he was very man, 
having the soul as w r ell as the body of a man, and that his divine 
nature was neither converted into flesh, nor supplied the place of a 
human soul in his body. As certainly as his being sensible of huu- 

* Matt. xxvi. 28. f Luke x. 21. % John xi. 5. §' Mark iii. 4. || Heb. v. 7. 

<([ For further satisfaction on this subject, the reader is referred to my 
Vindication of the Catholic Faith, page 167, from which a part of this para 
<*raph is taken . 

U ii 



346 



ON THE NATIVITY 



ger, thirst, weariness, and pain; with his eating, drinking, and 
sleeping, proved that he had a real, animal body ; so certainly, 
his gradually increasing in wisdom, in proportion as the faculties 
of his mind opened, and the eternal Word communicated its light 
to him, his waxing strong in spirit, his having a will of his own, 
distinct from the will of his Father, his sorrowing, rejoicing, hoping, 
fearing, loving, desiring, grieving, or being angry, demonstrate 
that he had a human soul or spirit, like unto ours in all things, sia 
excepted. This soul or spirit, he committed when he was dying, 
?nto the hands of his heavenly Father, saying, " Father, into thy 
hands f commend my spirit," just as Stephen committed his to 
Christ, when he said, " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." JS~ow, 

3. Unto us this child is horn, a declaration like that of the 
angel to the shepherds, " Unto you is born this day in the city cf 
David, a Saviour." Well might it be said, unto us, for the advan- 
tages which we derive herefrom* are, indeed, many and great. 
Some of these I shall here name. 1st. Partaking thus of our 
common human nature, he became, not the relation of angels, but 
our relation, our brother, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh ; 
which is a blessing particularly noticed by the apostle, where he 
says, " both he that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified, are all 
of one," of one father Adam, as well as of one Father God, and 
therefore of one common nature; "for which cause he is not 
ashamed to call them brethren, saying, " I will declare thy name 
unto my brethren: in the midst of the church will I sing praises 
unto thee."* Now, by this event, our common nature is at once 
unspeakably honoured and advantaged. For hereby, 2dly, he was 
made acquainted by experience with our infirmities, learned to 
sympathize with us under them, and became as willing as able to 
succour and support us in all our trials and troubles. " It behoved 
him," says the apostle, *J to be made like unto his brethren, that he 
might be a merciful and faithful High Priest:" and again, " We 
have not a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of 
pur infirmities ; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet 
without sin.'* Thus, 3dly, He was qualified to appear among us^ 
83 one of ourselves, and to instruct us, in a free aud familiar main 



* Heb. ii. 1? 



OF CHRIST. 



347 



iter, so as neither to overawe and alarm our minds, nor astonish and 
overpower our faculties, which would have prevented all just dis- 
cernment of, and rational information concerning the important 
truths he was sent to communicate. Thus, 4thly. His example 
became adapted to our weakness, and proper for our imitation, 
which the example of a spiritual and heavenly Being that had 
never dwelt in flesh, could not have been. And I need not say 
how much such an example was wanted, to direct mankind in their 
pursuit of spiritual and moral excellence. It is, however, of more 
importance that I should observe, 

5thly, That, being thus clothed wUh flesh, and made man in our 
nature, he was qualified to atone for sin, by suffering the penalty 
due to it, a penalty, which was necessary to be suffered by one 
that was very man, that sin might be condemned in the nature that 
had offended. " It behoved him to be made like unto his brethren 
in all things," says the apostle, " that, as a merciful and faithful 
High Priest in things pertaining to God, he might make reconci- 
liation for the sins of the people." And in what way he made 
this reconciliation, is not a subject of conjecture : It was by offer- 
ing up on the cross his whole human nature, soul and body, as a 
sacrifice for siu. For he himself, in the whole human nature, the 
man Christ Jesus, " gave himself a ransom for all,* and was offered 
to bear the sins of many."t And, as he was thus qual ? fied to 
expiate sin, and to procure for us redemption through his blood, 
even the forgiveness of it ; so thus it was, 6thly, that he overcame 
death and the grave. For in him we see our very human nature 
raised from the dead, and invested with immortality. Hence, we 
are said to be begotten again to a lively hope of a heavenly inher- 
itance, by the resurrection of Christ from *he dead, he being raised 
from the dead, as "the first-fruits of them that sleep," and his 
resurrection being a pledge of ours. Now, if he had not been 
truly man, but a being of an entirely different nature, his resurrec- 
tion could have been no earnest of ours, nor could it, in the nature 
of things, have afforded us any just ground for hoping that we 
should rise also. But when we see oue of ourselves, one that was 
as truly man as we are, rising from the dead, we have good reason 
far believing that we shall rise also; especially considering that 



* 1 Tim. ii, 6. 



+ Heb. ix. 23, 



ON THE NATIVITY 



he rose as a public person and representative of all his people, and 
for this very purpose among others, to give us assurance of our 
resurrection and immortality. Thus the author of the Night 
Thoughts, in just and expressive language, 

" Whose nature then 

Took wing, and mounted with him from the tomb ! 
Then, then I rose; then first humanity 
Triumphant pass'd the crystal ports of light, 
(Stupendous guest !) and seiz'd eternal youth : 
Seiz'd in our name !'* 

Now, the resurrection of the Messiah, and our resurrection 
through him, are continually represented in scripture as the conse- 
quence and evidence of his being the Son of God in a peculiar 
sense, " Declared to be the Son of God with power," that is, pow- 
erfully or evidently, says the apostle,* " by the resurrection from 
the dead:" " The promise made unto the fathers, God hath ful- 
filled, in that he raised up Jesus again," as it is also written in the 
second Psalm, " Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee," 
that is, revived or restored thee from the dead. As the Son of 
God, he was the Prince of life, and, therefore, as St. Peter ob- 
serves,! could not be held under the power of death. Accord- 
ingly, the prophet here informs us, that the Child born, is the Son 
given. 

5. This appellation of Son, it must be here observed, not only 
determines the sex of the Child, but refers, 1st, To his miraculous 
conception, foretold in the 7th chapter of this prophecy: "Behold,, 
a virgiu shall conceive, and bear a Son, and call his name Immar 
nuel." In consequence of this, even as man, he is termed, and is 
the Son of God. " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and 
the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore, that 
holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of 
God." How important, and indeed necessary it was, that the Mes- 
siah should be the Son of God in this sense : I mean, that he 
should be of miraculous conception, I need not say. You all 
know, I presume, that it was as necessary, as that he should be 
without sin. Had he not been without sin himself, his sufferings 



* Rom, i. 4, f Acts ii, 24, 



OF CHRIST, 349 

and death could not have been an expiation of our sins, as he would 
have deserved to suffer and die for his own sins. And that he 
should have been without sin, would have been impossible, if he 
had been of ordinary generation, conceived and born as all the 
other children of fallen Adam are. Add here, that this his mira- 
culous conception of itself, independent of all other circumstances, 
gave a dignity and worth to his person, which evidently rendered 
it of more estimation than the persons of all men. 

6. It does not appear, however, that this is the chief reason 
why he is termed the Son here. It is evident, I think, from the 
scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, that he is termed 
the Son of God, chiefly in another respect, that is, with regard to 
his pre existent and divine nature. In this light several of the most 
judicious of the ancient Fathers, as Tertullian and Ambrose, and 
of the most learned and accurate commentators among the moderns, 
as Beza, Pool, Henry, and others, have considered, Rom. i. 3, 4. 
" concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the 
seed of David according to the flesh," that is, evidently, the human 
nature ; and " declared to be the Son of God with power, accord- 
ing to the Spirit of Holiness," that is, they suppose, according to 
his pre-existent and divine nature, termed a " quickening Spirit," 
and " the Lord from heaven," 1 Cor. xv. 45, and 47. and " the 
eternal Spirit," Heb. ix. 1 4. Thus the antithesis, which seems to 
have been intended by the apostle, between the two natures of 
Christ, viz. that whereby he was the offspring, and that whereby 
he was the root of David, is preserved, which it is not, and cannot 
be, on any other interpretation whatever. Be this as it will, when, 
Rom. viii. 3. God is said to have " sent his own Son in the like- 
ness of sinful flesh, and, Gal. iv. 4. to have " sent forth his Son, 1 ' 
the manner of speaking seems evidently to imply, that he was God's 
Son before he was so sent. Add to this, that " the Word," which 
is said, John i. 1. to have been " in the beginning with God," and 
afterwards to have been " made flesh," is, verse 14. expressly 
termed, the only-begotten of the Father, " The Word was made 
flesh, and dwelt (erzwure, literally, tabernacled) among us, and we 
beheld his glory, the glory of the only-begotten of the Father, full 
of grace and truth." But the most clear and decisive proof which 
we have from scripture, of his being the Son of God before his 
incarnation, is found Heb, i, I . " God hath in these last days spo- 



350 



ON THE NATIVITY 



ken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, 
by whom also he made the worlds :" which words certainly signify 
that he was the Son of God, when the worlds were made by him, 
and though perfectly and mdissolubly united to, and one with his 
Father, yet to be distinguished from him, for he is immediately 
described to be " the brightness," etTravyeirpM, the effulgence of 
his glory, and the express image of his person," as a son is the 
image of his father. 

7. And that this divine person, was the Son of God, in a pecu- 
liar sense, a sense in which no other being, whether man or angel, 
is or can be his son, is evident from this consideration, that the 
apostle argues and proves his superiority to the highest creatures, 
on this one ground of his sonship. " Being so much better than 
the angels," says he, " as he hath by inheritance," or birthright, 
" obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of 
the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I 
begotten thee ? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall 
be to me a Son : And again, when he bringeth his first- begotten 
into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship 
him." The apostle does not mean that no other beings have ever 
been termed in the sacred writings, the sons of God. We know 
that angels are so called in the book of Job,* and that the appel- 
lation of son of God is given to Adam, by the evangelist St. 
Luke : angels aud Adam being, in a peculiar sense, God's offspring, 
created by his immediate power. Nay, and fallen mens when 
adopted into God's family, and regenerated by his grace, are, by 
virtue of that adoption and regeneration, termed sons of God.f 
Magistrates also, who are God's deputies and representatives, and 
bear the image of his authority and power, are called "children 
of the Most High,'"J as all the people of God shall be, in a more 
exalted sense, when they shall be raised from the dead, and invest- 
ed with new and immortal bodies, conformed to Christ's glorious 
body.§ They sh all be peculiarly " children of God, being chil- 
dren of the resurrection." But none of them are, nor can be, 
termed sons or children of God, in that proper sense in which 
Christ has this appellation given him* 



* Job xxxviii, 7- f John i. 12. Gal. iv. 4—7, T Pealm* 
§ Luke xx. 36 



OF CHRIST. 



351 



9. He, and only he, is the Word, tiie essential, living, and crea- 
ting Word, which was in the beginning with God, and was God: 
which was with and in the Father from eternity, and ssued forth, 
as the ancient fathers often speak, in a substantial form, to give 
birth to the universe, 44 all things," as St. John assures us, " being 
made by him, and without him nothing being made that was made." 
Thus Athenagoras, "being always in him, (the Father,) but coming 
forth before all things, to be the wfea, and active power oi all mate- 
rial beings ;" that is, to plan and execute, to contrive and produce 
the nature and form of every creature. " The Word, whom the 
Father begat," says Theophiius, "sending him forth before all 
thi: gs. who was always in God, and became Aoyos rgoQogiKos (the 
Word brought forth,) when he would create the world." '< Whom 
he made Trpon-ti^uv, to leap from him, says Justin Martyr and Ta- 
tian, he being in him before all things. Clemens Alexandriuus 
speaks in similar terms, when he calls him irg6ex}$v © Xayoq ^r^mp- 
yiois, " The Word, which is the cause of the creation, coming forth, 
by which all things were made." As also Tertullian, Avho describe* 
him as "the Word brought forth by the Father, and by that 
prolation generated, and therefore the Son of God." Such are 
the terms in which the apostles, and those eminently learned and 
pious men, that were their immediate successors in the ministry of 
the Word, have thought proper to express their ideas of this Only- 
begotten of the Father, before his incarnation, and, perhaps, we 
cannot do better than speak of him in similar language, only laying 
our account with this, that after all we can utter or conceive, his 
person and generation will remain an unsearchable mystery. For, 
as my text says, and as we shall have occasion to observe hereafter, 
his name is W ondcrjul. 

9. Now, this Son of God is said, in our text, to be given unto 
us ; and our Lord himself speaks in similar language, John iii. 3 6. 
God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son. Of 
him, also, is St Paul to be understood, when he thanks God for his 
unspeakable gift He is given to us, so that he becomes ours, with 
all that he is and has, if we are prevailed on to accept of him. The 
Word, the divine and eternal Word, which spake every thing into 
existence, being made flesh, is given to be our kind and conde- 
scending teacher, in matters of infinite and everlasting moment, to 
instruct, advise, command, reprove, exhort, and comfort all, who, 



ON THE NATIVITY 



in obedience to the Father's voice, speaking from heaven, are incli- 
ned to hearken to him. The Son, the eternal Son of the glorious 
and everlasting Father, who had glory with, and was beloved by 
him before the foundation of the world, is given, not only to assume 
our nature, and partake of flesh and blood, because we were parta- 
kers of the same, but, in consequence thereof, becomes our near 
kinsman, our brother, and our friend ; is interested in our happi- 
Dess, sympathizes with us, and succours and supports us. His life 
is given to be the rule of our conduct, and his death the expiation of 
our offences. For having assumed our nature, he hath also ik borne 
our sins in his own body on the tree ;" hath been " made sin," or a 
sin-offering for us, " though he knew no sin ; that we might be made 
the righteousness of God in him :" he is given to be our Redeemer 
and Saviour, our head and husband, our way back to the Father, 
from whom we had wandered, our truth to direct, and our life, to 
quicken us in the way. Are we ignorant and foolish ? He is given 
to be our Wisdom. Are we sinful and guilty ? He is made our 
Righteousness. Are we unholy and depraved ? He becomes our 
Sanctification. Are we condemned and sold, the bor.d-tlaves o» sin, 
and adjudged to death and hell ? He is given to be our full, oer.ect, 
and eternal Redemption. His soul and body, his Godhead and 
manhood, his person and offices, his humiliation and exaltation, his 
cross and crown, are all offered to us, and bestowed upon us, if we 
accept them at his hands, and at the hands of him that sent him. 

10. It appears, therefore, that the benefits which we receive by 
him, are as great as they are necessary, and all exactly adapted to the 
case of fallen man. Did " darkness cover the earth, and gross dark- 
ness the people," as to divine things, and did mankind * fc sit in 
darkness, and in the region of the shadow of death?" He is 
"given for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes;" and 
they that believe in him * £ do not abide in darkness, but have the 
light of life." Have " ail sinned aud come short of the glory of 
God, and are the whole world guilty before God ?" He is given 
for a covenant of the people," that is, to be the mediator of a bet- 
ter covenant than that formerly made; a covenant founded on 
better promises, and is set forth to be a propitiation through 
faith in his blood, to declare his (the Father's) righteousness, for 
the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of 
God." Were we "children of wrath even as others," as all are 



OF CHRIST. 



by nature, aud " of our father the devil, because we did his 
works ?" and, even when awakened to a sense of this our misery, 
Were we in bondage, not only under the elements of this world, 
but under slavish fears of God, and tormenting fears of death and 
heil ? " The fulness of time being come, God hath sent forth his 
Son," to become the Son of man, " that we might receive the 
adoption of sons, and be made children of God ; and being made 
sons, miofht have " the Spirit of God's Son sent into our hearts, 
crying, Abba Father." And they who receive this incarnate Sou 
of God, or believe aright in his name, obtain this great privilege, 
and are no louger servants of sin, or mere servants of God, but, 
sons, and " if sons, heirs of God, through Christ." Are we by 
nature as " an unclean thing, and is our righteousness as filthy 
rags ?" " From the crown of our head to the sole of our foot, is 
there no soundness in us, but on'y wounds, and bruises, and putri- 
fying sores ?" He gave himself for us, to redeem us from all ini^ 
quity, and purify to himself a peculiar people :" " Gave himself 
for his church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, and present it 
to himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, or any such 
thing, that it might be holy, and without blemish." And all that 
believe in him, with their heart unto righteousness, receive " au 
inheritance among those that are thus sanctified." Is death the 
wag s of sin, and in Adam do all die? die a spiritual death here, 
and, if divine mercy prevent not, an eternal death hereafter ? The 
gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, for 
God hath u sent his Son into the world, that we should live through 
him |" and. through the free and unmerited grace of God he be- 
comes " the author of eternal salvation to ail that obey him." 

II. "The government, is upon his shoulder." 1. In these words 
there is a manifest allusion to the ancient custom, of carrying the 
ensigns of authority and government before the magistrate, upon 
the shoulders of his officers, as the sceptre, sword, or key. Thus, 
iu (he 22d chapter of this prophecy, the Lord addressing Shebna, 
who was over the house of the reigning king of Judah, says, con- 
cerning Eliakim. il I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen 
him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his 
hand;,, and the key of the house of David will I lay upon his 
shoulder, aud he shall open and none shall shut; and shall shut and 

W w 



354 



ON THE NATIVITY 



none shall open." It is justly observed by bishop Lowth here ; 
that "as the robe and girdle," or Baldrick, as he translates it s 
% were the ensigns of power and authority, so likewise was the key 
the mark of office, either sacred or civil ;" and that it may be 
comprehended how this could be borne on the shoulder, he ob- 
serves, that according to Homer, and other early writers, one sort 
of keys used by the ancients, was of considerable magnitude, 
and as to the shape, very much bent and crooked. — " The curved 
part was introduced into the key -hole, and, being properly directed 
by the handle, took hold of the bolts within, and moved them from 
their places. We may easily collect that such a key would lie 
very well upon the shoulder; that it must be of some considerable 
size and weight, and could hardly be commodiously carried any 
other way." Now, " in allusion to this image of the key," says 
the bishop, " as the ensign of power, the unlimited extent of that 
power is explained with great clearness, as well as force, by the 
sole and exclusive authority to open and shut." In this, Eliakim 
was a type of Christ, who in my text, is said to have the govern- 
ment upon his shoulder; who gives even his ministers 14 the keys 
of the kingdom of heaveu, that whatsoever they may bind on earth, 
may be bound in heaven; and whatsoever they may loose on 
earth may be loosed in heaven,"* and who says of himself,f in 
allusion to these words about Eliakim, that he " hath the key of 
David, that he openeth and no man shutteth, shutteth and no man 
openeth." 

2. But it seems probable, that, in the words of my text, there 
may also be an allusion to what was appointed concerning the Jew- 
ish high priest ,+ who certainly was intended to be an eminent type 
of the Messiah. He was to have the names of the twelve tribes, 
whose representative he was, and for whom he officiated, inscribed 
upon the shoulder- pieces of his ephod, and upon his breastplate, 
that he might bear them continually on his shoulders, and on his 
heart. They wrought onyx-stones, inclosed in ouches of gold, 
graven as signets are graven, with the uames of the children of Israel, 
and put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones 
for a memorial to the children of Israel." " The breastplate, also, 
was made like the work of the ephod ; and the stones were accord- 
ing to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, — every one 

* Matt, svi- 9. f Rev. iii. 7. } Exod. xxxix. 6, f. 



OF CHRIST 



355 



with its name, according to the twelve tribes."* Now, all this 
was emblematical and typical : Emblematical of the duty of Aaron, 
every Jewish high priest, and typical of the office of Christ. 
Aaron, and his successors in office, were to be at once faithful and 
merciful high priests, supporting as far as in them lay, the minds 
of the people, for whom they ministered, and bearing their cares 
and burdens, so to speak, upon their shoulders, and having tbeir 
welfare continually at heart. Now, in this, they were types of 
Christ, who, 1st. ha6 the names, the persons, the states, and cases 
of his people upon his heart ; and can neither forget nor neglect 
them: and who, 2dly, carries their burdens and cares, as it were, 
upon his shoulders, and manages their affairs for them. They 
"cast their burden upon him, and he sustains it:" they " cast all 
their care upon him, for he careth for them." They commit the 
management of their affairs to him, and he neither fails nor forsakes 
them, but makes his grace sufficient for them; perfects his strength 
in their weakness, and makes all things work for their good. He 
performs really what Aaron and his successors did in type and 
figure, and not only wears the badge of affectionate love and sup- 
porting power, but bears the burden of both. To be a little more 
particular : 

3. In his divine nature, and as the Son and Heir of his eternal 
Father, he upholds and governs the universe which he made. By 
him, says the apostle,* all things consist, o-ws^Ke, are upheld, or 
supported : Upholding all things, says the author of the epistle to 
the Hebrews,! by the Word of his Power. The inanimate, the 
animate, the rational, the spiritual creation, is all preserved and 
governed by him. The kingdom of nature, as it is called, whe- 
ther mineral, vegetable, animal, or intellectual; the kingdom of 
providence, whether extended over empires or cities, families or 
individuals ; and the kingdom of grace, in all its various grada- 
tions, is equally under his superintending care, and righteous ad- 
ministration. " Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foun- 
dation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thine hands: 
They shall perish, but thou remainest: They all shall wax old as 
doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they 
shall be changed : But thou art the same, and thy years fail not :"§ 



" Fzor? mix. 8. 14, $ Col. i 16 % Heb i. 3, § Heb. i 10 



356 



ON THE NATIVITY 



And, " Thy throne, O God, i3 for ever and ever; a sceptre el 
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."* Both these passages 
quoted from the Psalms, are applied to Christ by this inspired 
author, and represented as primarily intended of him. 

4. Considered as man, in the human nature, though not sepa- 
rated from, but united to the divine, , the government is devolved 
upon him by the pather, as the end and reward of his obedience 
unto death, ff He died, and rose, and liveth, that lie might be the 
Lord of the dead and of the living/'f And because, when he 
was " in the form of God, and thought it not an act of robbery," 
being his very Word and Wisdom, " to be equal with God, he 
emptied himself, and took the form of a servant, and was made in 
the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, humbled 
himself still more, and became obedient to death, even the death of 
the cross; therefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given 
him a name above every name, that at his name every knee should 
bow, of those in heaven, and those in earth, and those under the 
earth, and that every tongue should confess him Lord, to the 
glory of God the Father." This exaltation, power, and dominion 
of the Messiah, was foreseen and foretold by the Psalmist, " The 
Lord (in the Hebrew, Jehovah) said unto my Lord, Sit thou at 
my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The 
Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion : Rule thou in 
the midst of thine enemies." Similar to this is the lauguage of 
Jeremiah,]: " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will 
raise unto David a righteous branch, and a King shall reign and 
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In 
his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely : And 
this is the name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our 
Righteousness." The prophet Daniel also, foresaw and pre- 
dicted this exaltation and glory of the Lord Christ. I saw in the 
night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with 
the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they 
brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, 
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, 
should serve him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which 
ajiall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be 



* Heb. i. 8. 



f Rom, xiv..9 t % Jer. xxiii. 5, 6„ 



OF CHRIST. 



Q57 



4estroyed."* Isaiah likewise, who has so minutely described the 
Messiah's humiliation and sufferings, and represented him with 
** a visage more marred than any man's, and his form more than 
tjie sons of men," has not failed to prophesy of his power and 
glory. w Behold my servant, says Jehovah, by him, shall deal 
prudently," or, rather, shall prosper: "He shall be exalted, and 
extolled, and be very high." Very high indeed ! for, as our Lord 
himself bears witness after his resurrection, " All power is given 
unto him in heaven, and on earth,f and H all judgment is commit- 
ted to him.}: and he is constituted Lord over all," there being 
nothing which is " not put under him,"§ that is, no being in the 
universe, except the Father, who has put all things under him."|| 
So that he has an undoubted right to govern, and it is certain does 
and w»ll exercise that right ; for it cannot be that he should betray 
his trust, or fail in the execution of the office assigned him. 

5. But according to the sacred scriptures, whether of the Old or 
the New Testament, he is especially the King of saints, and " the 
head of his body the church." " I have set my King," says the 
Lord by David, " upon my holy hill of Zion."TT He hath set 
Christ," says St. Paul, * at his own right hand, in the heavenly pla- 
ces, far above all principality, and power, and might, and domi- 
nion, and every name that is named, and hath put all things under 
his feet, and given him to be head over all things to the church, 
which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." And 
again, M he is the head of his body, the church, the beginning, the 
first-born from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre- 
eminence." Thus is the Lord's promise, by his servant Zechariafy 
fulfilled, *' behold, the man whose name is the Branch, he shall 
grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord ; 
even he shall build the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the 
glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and shall be a priest 
upon his throne."** And again, " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of 
Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy King cometh 
unto thee ? He is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an 
ass : — and he shall speak peace unto the heathen : and his dominion 
shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of 

* Ch. 7. Psl. ex. 1. t Matt, xxviii. 18. % John v. § Heb. ii, 6 
H Cor. xv. 27, 28. f Ps^mii. 6 ** Zech. #, 12. 



358 ON THE NATIVITY 

the earth ;"* a glorious prediction this, of the universal reign of righ- 
teousness. This is evidently foreto.d, also in ^Nebuchadnezzar's 
vision of the image, where it is observe d, that the " stone cut out 
of the mountain without hands," which smites the im ..go upon its 
feet of iron and clay, and breaks them to pieces, toge her wish its 
head of gold, its breast and arms of silver, and its beiU and thighs 
of brass, and makes them " like the chaff of the summer threshing- 
floor, so that the wind carries them away, and no place is found tor 
them :" — that this stone, I say, becomes itself " a great mountain, 
and fills the whole earth."! It is foretold likewise by Micah and 
Isaiah. tl They shall smite the judge of Israel," says the foi mer,| 
"with a rod upon the cheek. Eut thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, 
though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet cut of 
thee shall come forth unto me, one that is to be ruler in Israel ; 
whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. There- 
fore will he give them up, until the time that she that travaileth 
hath brought forth : then the remnant of his brethren shall return 
unto the children of Israel a clear prediction of the conversion 
of the Gentiles, and of their union with the Jews in the christian 
church. It follows, " And he shall stand and feed in the strength 
of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God : and 
they shall abide : for now shall he be great unto the ends of the 
earth. And the remnant of Jacob," the true people of God, and 
members of his church, " shall be in the midst of many people, as 
dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarry not 
for man, nor wait for the sons of men." 

6. That this kingdom of the Messiah shall be as peaceful as it is 
righteous and extensive, is evident from die prediction of the same 
prophet. "In the last days," (says he in the preceding chapter,) 
viz, the days of the Messiah, and towards the close of his reign on 
earth, when, as Zechariah testifies, "at even-time it shall be light," 
and "the Lord shall be king over all the earth, and there fhall be 
one Lord, and his name one ;" tfc the mountain of the Lord's house 
shall be established on the top of the mountains," that is, the true 
religion shall swallow up all others, " and it shall be exalted above 
the hills, and people shall flow unto it; and many nations shall 
come and say, *' come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord s 



* Zech. ix, 9< 



f Dan. ii. 35. 44, % Micah v.— 4 



OF CHRIST. 



859 



and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his 
ways, and we will walk, in his paths; for the law shall go forth of 
Ziou, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and he shall judge 
amongst the people: and rebuke strong nations afar off, and they 
shall beat their swords into ploughshares, aod their spears into 
pruning- hooks : uations shall not lift up sword against nation, nei- 
ther shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit, every man 
under his vine, and uuder his fig-tree, and none shall make them 
afraid ; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."* A prophecy 
this, agreeing so exactly with that contained in the beginning of the 
2d chapter of Isaiah, that one cannot but suppose, that the two 
prophets, as they flourished at the same time, and among the same 
people, must have communicated their divinely-imparted discoveries 
to each other. Micah adds, ver. 7. *' And the Lord shall reign 
over them in Mount Zion, from henceforth, even for ever," which 
is perfectly agreeable to Isaiah's prediction, in the verse following 
my text, " of the increase of his government and peace there shall 
be no end upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order 
it, and establish it with judgment and with justice, from hence- 
forth even for ever : the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform 
this;" a declaration confirmed by the words of the angel to Mary, 
" The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
David ; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, of 
his kingdom there shall be no end." But it would be an endless 
task, to collect all the testimonies of the prophets concerning the 
extent, and peace, and duration, of the Messiah's kingdom. Their 
books abound with predictions on this subject, and the reader 
can hardly open amiss to find them. 

7. I should now proceed to speak of the qualifications of the 
Messiah, for sustaining this important office of universal governor, 
signified by the titles here given him ; but having already enlarged 
so much, and the subjects that remain to be treated being of that 
nature that they cannot possibly be discussed in a few words, it 
will be more proper to defer the consideration of them to another 
opportunity ; and now to conclude with two or three inferences 
firom what has been advanced. 



* Mirah iv, I, 4. 



360 



On the nativity 



And, 1st. May we not learn from what we have heard, the 
amazing condescension and love of God towards us, in causing 
this wonderful child to be born, and this exalted Son to be guen 
for us ? Surely, my brethren, love, unparalleled and unbounded 
love, was the spring and motive of this astonishing transaction ! 
God so loved the world, that he gave his only- begotten Son, — for our 
redemption and salvation. " In this," says St. John, " was mani- 
fested the love of God towards us, in that God sent his only-begot- 
ten Son into the world, that we should live through him. Herein 
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and made his 
Son a propitiation for our sins." Not but that he has manifested 
his love to us in many other ways, as in forming us rational and 
immortal creatures, endowed with facilities that quality us to know, 
love, and enjoy him for ever; in giving us bodies "fearfully and 
wonderfully made," as David observes, furnished with members 
most suitable and proper for us in our present state, and with senses 
which are all iulets to instruction and pleasure; in placing us in a 
world stored with all conveniencies and delights, and inhabited by 
creatures formed for our use, and subservient to our happiness» 
But never did he, and, may I not say, never could he give such 
another display of his love, as he gave in the incarnation, life, and 
death, of his only-begotten Son, for sinners, enemies, and rebels of 
mankind. Well may we exclaim with the author of the Night 
Thoughts, 

" Father of angels! But the friend of man! 
Thou hast saved him ! snatch'd the smoking brand 
From out the flames, and quench'd it in thy blood! 
How art thou pleas' d by bounty to distress ! 
To make us groan beneath our gratitude ! 
Of lavish love stupendous heights to soar, 
And leave praise panting in the distant vale S" 

2. Now, if we " know and believe this love which God hatii 
towards us," shall we not " love him who hath thus loved us?" 
And loving him, shall we not obey him and live to his glory ? And 
shall we not love his people ? Shall they not be in our eyes the 
excellent of the earth, and shall not our delight be in them ? Let 
us hear St. John upon this subject, " Beloved, let us love one 



OF CHRIST, 



861 



another, for love is of God ; aud every one that loveth is born of 
God, and knovveth God: He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for 
God is love. Beloved* if God so loved us, we ought also to love 
one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love 
one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.'* 
Again,* '-Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We 
know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love 
the brethren. He that I >veth not his brother, abideth in death." 
But what are the effects, which this love should produce ? And 
what are the proofs we must give that we possess it ? The same 
apostle inform^ us.f " Hereby perceive we the love of God, because 
he laid down his life for us i And we ought to lay down our lives 
for the brethren." Now, if we ought to do even this, should we 
be called to it, in the course of divine providence, shall we not 
feel the force of the apostle's question: " Whoso hath this world's 
goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels 
of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" 
I hope, my brethren, this inquiry of the apostle will be remem= 
bered by you, and will have its proper influence upon your minds 
when your charity is solicited, as it will be at the conclusion of 
the service, according to custom on Chiistm as-day, in behalf of 
the hungry and naked members of Christ's mystical body. 

3. Let it be observed, however, as a second inference from what 
has been advanced, that this is professed, and even attempted in 
vain, unless we truly receive this Child born, and Son given, and 
be subject to his government. For, as our love to the people of 
God, if genuine, must proceed from a priuciple of love to God 
himself, and as this can only arise, according to St. John,;}; from a 
knowledge and consideration of his love to us, manifested in our 
redemption and justification ; so it is certain we cannot love him 
for these astonishing acts of his grace aud goodness to us, till they 
have taken place. We cannot, I mean, " behold," as St. John 
speaks, " what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, 
that we should be called the children of God," till we are called 
his children ; which it is certain we are not, till we receive the 
Lord Jesus. For it is only " to those that receive him," or that 
" believe on his name," that God grants this great and inestimable 



• 1 John Hi. 13, 14, f * J ohn "i- 16, 17. 1. 1 John ih\ t and iv. 16. 10 



362 



ON THE NATIVITY 



privilege.* As to those that receive him not, so far are they 
from being justified, or from being made God's children, that they 
are "condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on them."f 
And let us not imagine that we receive him, or believe in his name 
aright, merely because we acknowledge him, however sincerely, to 
be the Messiah, and having his name named upon us, profess his 
religion. Let us remember that it is with the heart unto ri%hteotis- 
ness£ that we must believe on him ; that our faith in him must 
work by love,\ must overcome the world,\\ and purify the heart ;Tf 
that, " to those who believe in him he is precious," and, that what- 
ever faith in him any man may profess, if he love him not, he is 
anathema ; and that only those that " have his commandments, and 
keep them, truly love him." Let us consider also, that " he was 
manifested to take away our sins," to " save us from our sins," 
and " to destroy the works of the devil ;" and that " whosoever 
sinneth," or committeth known sin, and persisteth to do the devil's 
works, " hath not seen, neither known him," is not born of God, 
nor accounted his child, but is " of his father the devil, whose 
works he does." ## We must recollect that to believe in, or to 
receive him aright, is to embrace him in every office and character 
he sustains, as a Teacher, a Mediator, a Saviour, a Governor, and, 
as made of God unto us, wisdom and righteousness, sanctificatioa 
and redemption. As he is a teacher come from God, we must at- 
tentively hear him, submit our reason to his guidance, and not only 
diligently consider his word, but earnestly pray for the illumina- 
tion of his Spirit, that we may know the truth he hath revealed, 
and that " truth may make us free." We must renounce our own 
righteousness, and rely on his mediation, as he is the High Priest 
of our profession, for justification and reconciliation with God. 
We must renounce our sins, and sinful passions and inclinations^ 
must expect and desire to be redeemed from the power and nature* 
as well as guilt of iniquity, and become his obedient subjects and 
servants. We must not only rely on him as given for us, but must 
receive him to live in us ; not resting in " a name to live, when 
we are dead," nor in " a form of godliness without the poRer," 
any more than in the pleasures of the world, or in the commission 



* John i. 12. t John iii. 18, 36. % Rom. x. § Gal. v. 6. j| 1 John 
% 4. «T Acts xt. 9, ** 1 John iii, 4—10,. 



OF CHRIST. 



363 



of known and avowed iniquity. But at the same time that we ai£ 
subject to him, as the Lord from heaven, we must be regenerated 
by him as a quickening Spirit. And inasmuch as he brings " life 
and immortality to light by his gospel," and reveals and promises 
to his people an heavenly inheritance, if we would receive him we 
must set our affections on this immortal state, and die to this world 
with all it contains : we must conduct ourselves as pilgrims and 
strangers on earth," and casting " the anchor of our hope within 
the vail, where Jesus, the forerunner for us, hath entered," we 
must " seek a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker 
is God." If we overlook, or neglect any of these particulars, we 
can, with no propriety, be said to receive him whom we this day 
view as the Child born and Son given. 

4. I shall only call your attention to one inference more upon 
the subject, and that respects the destruction and misery awaiting 
all those, who, like the Jews, when "he comes to his own," 
comes lo them as members of his visible church, and comes " that 
they may have life," will not receive him, nor make application to 
him, for the life he came to impart. Has God indeed given us 
this wonderful, this unspeakable gift ? Has he indeed " sent 
forth his Son to be made of a woman," sent him " in the like- 
ness of sinful flesh, that we *' may live through him," and receive 
the adoption of sons here, and the inheritance of sons hereafter ? 
Then surely he will not connive at, nor overlook the indignity, 
the insult we offer him, if we reject, or neglect to receive such an 
inestimable blessing. On this point the inspired writings are suffi- 
ciently explicit. Those lively oracles, which have recorded the 
declaration and injunction of the eternal Father, given forth from the 
excellent glory when his Son was transfigured upon the holy mount, 
«' This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear yc 
him :" — the scriptures, I say, give us clear and full information, 
what the eud of those will be, who refuse obedience to the divine 
mandate. " The Lord thy God, says Moses,* will raise up unto 
thee a prophet — of thy brethren, like unto me : unto him ye shall 
hearken.— And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hear- 
ken unto my words, says Jehovah, which he shall speak in my 
name, I will require it of him." " Kiss the Son " says the patri- 
arch David, whose seed as well as Lord he was,f " lest he be angry, 

* Deut, xviu\ 15, 20 t Peal- »> 12 & ex. 6. & e*\m. 2? 



364 



ON THE NATIVITY 



and ye persh from the way, if h's wrath be kindled, yea, but a 
little." tl He shall judge among the heathen: He shall fill the places 
with dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over divers countries." 
" The stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone of 
the • orner." And, " Whosoever shall fall on this stone," said 
this Messiah himse lf,* " shall be broken : But on whomsoever it 
shall fall it shall grind him to powder." Let us hear the apostle 
on this awful subject. " If the word spoken by angels was stead- 
fast, and every transgression, or act of disobedience to the law 
of Moses, received a just recompense of reward, how shall we 
escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which was at first spoken 
by the Lord, and was afterwards confirmed unto us by those that 
heard him ; God also bearing witness with signs, and wonders, and 
divers roinxles, and gifts the 1 oly Ghost, according to his own 
will." Again, " He that despised the law of Moses, died 
without mercy under two or three witnesses," that is, if two or 
three witnesses attested his guilt, "of how much sorer punish- 
ment," argues the same divinely-inspired Author, ** shall he be 
thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, 
and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was 
sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit 
of grace." Let me entreat you, my brethren, to consider, and 
lay to heart these awful declarations of the divine oracles. They 
are matters of no trivial moment: They concern you all, and 
that infinitely. Bo not overlook them. Do not forget them. 
i( Bind them, as it were, a <out your neck, write them on the 
table of your heart." Take care that you do not slight or dis- 
regard that divine person, who is the great subject of my text. 
Remember, though a Saviour, he is also a Judge; and though 
" the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world," 
he is also " the Lion of the tribe of Judah." If his wrath be 
kindled, yea, but a little, (as David expresses it,) and he seize on 
the prey, who can deliver it out of his hands. O hearken to 
him as a Teacher and Lawgiver. Rely on him as a Mediator 
and Saviour, and be subject to him as a JCing and Governor. Follow 
trim as a Master and Leader, and be his true and genuine disciples, 
aud his faithful servants and soldiers. Confess him before men, what- 



* Mat? xx.L 44 



OF CHRIST, 



365 



ever shame or reproach, or loss, or suffering it may cost you, and 
be faithful unto death ; and when he cometh in the clouds of hea- 
ven, with power and great glory, to take vengeance on those that 
know not God, and obey not his gospel, he shall be glorified in 
you, as his saints, and admired, as in all that believe, and shall 
confess you before hi? Father, and the holy angels. 



SERMON XVIL 



ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. . 

(continued.) 

His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, 
The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah ix. 7. 

i. The Messiah, expected from age to age by the Jews, and 
acknowledged to be already come in the flesh, by Christians, holds 
a most distinguished place in both Testaments, in the old as well as 
in the new. He has, in every period of the world, been the chief 
object of the attention and knowledge, the confidence and hope, the 
esteem and love, and may I not also add, of the reverence and fear 
of the true people of God. Although rejected by the carnal and 
worldly builders of the church of God, whether of the Pharisaical 
or Antinomian stamp, in every age and under every dispensation, 
yet being placed in Zion by Jehovah himself, as the true and only 
foundation of that divine edifice, and being also exalted, and made 
the head-stone of the corner thereof : its truly enlightened ao# 



368 



ON THE NATIVITY 



spiritual members build their religion and their hopes only on him. 
To him they ts come as to a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, 
but chosea of God, and precious, and ?s lively stones," in conse- 
quence of their union with him, " are built up a spiritual house, an 
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God 
by him." "To them." inasmuch as they believe in him, "he is 
precious," he is, rt^y, an honour. They are not ashamed of him* 
They do not deny, or reject, or neglect him. But, on the contrary, 
glory in, and live to, him ; and kt though they have not seen, yet 
they love him; yea, although now they see him not, yet believing, 
they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." While they 
have " no confidence in the flesh," and " worship God in the Spi- 
rit," it is an important branch of their character that they "rejoice," 
or glory, (as the original word rather means,) " in Christ Jesus," 
who is, in their eyes, " the chief among ten thousand, and altogether 
lovely." Nay, and they see him to be so worthy of all love and 
gratitude, that they are ready to assume the language of the apos- 
tle, and say, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus, let him be 
Anathema, Maranatha." 

2. And is it any wonder they should entertain these sentiments 
of. and be so disposed towards him, considering the titles and cha> 
meters he lastly bears; considering what be is in himself, what he 
is to them, and what they are authorized by God himself to expect 
from him: that the "Child bom, the Son given, who has the 
government upon his shoulders," is named, and that truly, "Won- 
derful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the 
Prince of Peace. This brings me to the 

III. Particular proposed to be considered, The Messiah's quali- 
fications for sustaining and discharging the important office already 
spoken of. These are implied in the titles here ascribed to him. 

1. His name shall be called Wonderful." This the Jews apply 
to Hezekiah, who, they say, is called Wonderful, because of the 
miracles which God wrought for him, 1st, in suddenly smiting by 
the angel, in the camp of the Assyrians, a hundred fourscore and 
five thousand; 2dly, in bringing the shadow ten degrees back upon 
the dial ; and 3dly, in restoring him from sickness. They say, 
also, that he is termed Counsellor, because he consulted with hi? 



OF CHRIST 



369 



princes about God's worship. But this interpretation is so ridicu- 
lous, as not to need any arguments of mine to overthrow it. This 
title or epithet of Wonderful, like all the others here mentioned, is 
applicable to Christ, and to him only. 

The word name, it must bp observed, is here put for person, or 
nature, as in many other parts of the holy scriptures. Thus, Acts 
i. 15. '-the number of the uames," that is, of the persons, "was 
about an hundred and twenty." Rev. iii. 4. " thou hast a few 
names," that is, a few persons, " in Sardis, who have not defi- 
led their garments." And, Rev. xi. 13. in the original, * in the 
earthquake were slain of the names of men," that is, again, persons* 
" seven thousand." And when * Jehovah is said to proclaim his 
name before Moses, u the Lord God, merciful, and gracious," &c. 
it is evident that his name is put for his nature. Just so here, 
" his name shall be called Wonderful," signifies that his person 
and nature is such. The Hebrew word a63, here used, and ren- 
dered Wonderful, means mysterious, secret, or unsearchable. We 
find the same word used, Judges xiii. 18. where it is applied to the 
angel that appeared to Manoah and his wife, and is translated 
secret. "Why askest thou thus after my name ?" said the angel, 
" seeiog it is secret,"'' or wonderful, as we read in the margin. Now 
this angel was evidently a type of Christ, or rather was Christ him- 
self, in his pre-existent state. He, as the Word, or Son of God, 
appeared on mount Sinai, and gave the law, and was with the 
church in the wilderness, concerning whom the Father says,f 
" Behold, I send an angel, or messenger, before thee, to keep thee 
in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 
Be ware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not, for my name 
is in him." Of him Isaiah speaks, when he says':); " The angel of 
his presence saved them : in his love and in his pity he redeemed 
them, and he bare them, and carried them, all the days of old." 
This is the person, whose name is said to be secret^ mysterious, or 
wonderful ; and if it Were such when he was only Gorf, or the 
Ward, or Son of God, in his pre-existent state, how much more 
must it be such, after he was '< God manifest in the flesh," " the 
Word made flesh," and had two different natures united in one 
person. 



* Exod, xxxiii. 19. and xxxiv. 5, 6. f Exod, xxiii. 20, 21. % Isa. feiii. 9 

Y y 



370 ON THE NATIVITY 



3. Indeed man himself, composed of body and soul, of flesh and 
spirit, is a mysterious being, and Dr. Young's sublime description 
pf him, is as just as it is striking. 

How poor! how rich! how abject ! how august ! 
How complicate! how wonderful is man! 

Of different natures, marvellously mixt! 
Connexion exquisite of distant worlds ! 
Distinguish'd link in being's endless chain! 
Midway from nothing to the Deity ! 
A beam etherial, sullied and absorpt, 
Though sullied and dishonoured, still divine ! 
Dim miniature of greatness absolute ! 
An heir of glory ! A frail child of dust ! 
Helpless! Immortal! Insect ! -Infinite ! 
A Worm ! A God! 

But how much more applicable is the greater part of this descrip- 
tion to the God Man Christ Jesus, thau^t is to man in general f 
Surely He, our Immanuel, The Root and Offspring of David, the 
Son of God, and Son of Maiij was poor and rich, abject and 
august, complicate and wonderful : marvellously mixed of natures 
infinitely different, connecting in his person most distant worlds 
and states, was 

Helpless ! Immortal ! Insect ! Infinite ! 
A Worm! A God! 

No wonder, therefore, that his person should be represented as an 
unsearchable mystery, and that Jesus himself should teach, that " no 
man knoweth the Son but the Father." An important declaration, and 
a full proof of his being more than man, and more than any mere 
creature. 

4. His whole process in accomplishing the work of our redemp- 
tion, was equally wonderful with his person. His incarnation, 
whereby he put off the form of God, and emptied himself, relin- 
quished or concealed his glories, and took " the form of a servant* 
being made in the likeness of men," was an astonishing mystery. 
This indeed the apostle signifies it to be, when he says, "great is 
the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh.'' His life 
was wonderful. Its innocence, its usefulness, its holiness, were such 
as had never been observed among men, or witnessed in mortal 
flesh before. His doctrine was wonderful. The simplicity of it, 
for it was intelligible to the meanest capacity ; its sublimity, for i* 



OF CHRIST 



371 



was elevated beyond the common ideas of mankind, its purity, for 
it was unstaioed with error or sin, in principle or tendency; and 
its authority, for "his word was with power," were all extraordi- 
nary and marvellous. Well might his hearers be, as we often find 
they were, astonished at it, and well might they exclaim, " never 
man spake like this man. ,, His miracles were wonderful. 
14 Wheuce hath this man," exclaimed they, " these mighty works ?" 
" Go and show John, 11 said he,* " the things ye hear,and see. The 
blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are clean- 
sed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the 
gospel preached unto them." Thus did he fulfil the ancient pre- 
diction,! " Behold, your God will come with veDgeance," or with 
zeal, rather, " eveu God with a recompense, he will come and save 
you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, aud the ears of 
the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and 
the tongue of the dumb shall sing." His miracles were so many, 
so great, so beneficent, and done with such majesty, through the 
indwelling deity, of which he was full, that it is astonishing the 
whole multitude of his disciples, who had been spectators of them so 
long, did not sooner break forth in joy and praise to God, for such 
mighty works. His love, and the manifestations of it in his suffer- 
ings and death, were wonderful. " That ye may be able to com- 
prehend," says the apostle, "with all saints, the breadth and length, 
and depth and height, and know 7 the love of Christ, which passeth 
knowledge." 

5. That he who was so rich as to be " Lord of all," should be- 
come so poor, as " not to have where to lay his head !" That he who 
was so high as to be " above all," should be made so low, as to be 
among poor fishermen, " as one that serveth !" That he who was 
so glorious as to exist in the form of God, and be acknowledged as- 
" the Lord of glory," should be so emptied, and so reduced, as to 
" have no form or comeliness, that men should desire him;" should 
be " despised and rejected of men," made a (; worm, 1 ' as David 
speaks, " and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the peo- 
ple !" " That he who was so mighty as to speak the universe into 
being " and " uphold all things by the word of his power," should 
appear so weak as < k to be able to do nothing of himself," and be at 



* Matt. iv. 4, 5. 



t Isa. xsxy 4. 5 



372 



ON THE NATIVITY 



last, " crucified in weakness !" That he who was unspeakably 
happy, and lay in the bosom of infinite felicity, should be heard to 
complain that " his soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," 
while the anguish that oppressed his mind, caused a sweat, like 
great drops of blood falling to the ground to distil from the pores 
of his body. That one so innocent and holy, who " had done no 
sin,"' aud -'in whose mouth," or heart, " no guile had been found," 
and who kC had life in himself," nay, 44 was the Prince of life," the 
"Lord and giver of life;" and had healed the disorders, and 
remedied the sufferings of so many others, and had raised so many 
others from the dead, should be exposed to the pangs of that death, 
and to ihose dreadful sufferings which entered into the world by 
sin, and are the appropriate fruits and chastisements of it! All 
this, I say, was sur. i; matter of wonder and astonishment! 

6. His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation, were wonderful : 
That a frail aud mortal man should not only have power " to lay 
down his life," but also to " take it again !" That he who, when 
in full life, and health, and strength, had been brought under the 
power of death, should not, even when a dead corpse, be detained 
under its power! That he who was condemned to death, at the 
tribunal of a weak and mortal man, and was hanged on a tree in 
ignominy and torture, between two thieves, as the vilest slave 
and malefactor, should be exalted to the right hand of God,'' in- 
vested with " all power in heaven and on earth,'* should have a 
name given him above every name," and should be constituted the 
final judge of men and angels, and all creatures in heaven, and in 
earth, and under the earth, should be obliged, whether willingly 
or reluctantly, " to confess him Lord," and bow r before him ! I 
shall only add, that a series of wonders attended his birth, his 
childhood, his youth, his manhood, nay, and every period of his 
life, and was especially conspicuous at his death ; so that the 
very time of his greatest humiliation, was the period of his greatest 
glory ; and when he showed the greatest marks of being a weak and 
mortal son of man, he gave the greatest proofs of being the only-be- 
gotten, and the best-beloved Son of God. 

A second title given here to the Messiah is, that of Counsellor. 
He is that Wisdom and Word which the Father of the universe 
" possessed in the beginning of his way, before his works of old 5 
which was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the 



OF CHRIST 



373 



e^arth was : — Which was with him when he prepared the heavens, 
and when he set a compass upon the face of the depth : When he 
established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains 
of the deep : When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters 
should not pass his commandment : When he appointed the founda- 
tions of the earth." He was therefore, perfectly acquainted with 
all the Father's counsels from the beginning, and as far as was ne- 
Gessary or expedient, he hath revealed them to men. " To this 
end was I born, says he, and for this cause came I into the world, 
that I should bear witness unto the truth." He " came a light un- 
to the world, that they who see not might see," and was full of 
wisdom and truth, as well as of power and grace. In him were 
"hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," and out of his 
fulness, his disciples have, from age to age, received all the com- 
munications thereof, which were needful for, or would be useful to 
them. (< I call you not servants," says he, " for the servant knoweth 
not what his Lord doth : But I have called you friends : For all things 
that I have heard or learned of the Father, I have made known unto 
you." He not only instructs his disciples by his word and by his 
messengers, and brings " life and immortality to lio-ht by his 
gospel ;" but he gives them " an unction from himself, the Holy 
One to teach them all things," the Spirit of truth to guide them 
into all that truth which it is of importance for them to know. 

But it may be observed here also, that these two particulars 
are found united together, Isa. xxviii. 29. and, thus united, are 
both ascribed to Jehovah, who is said to be " Wonderful in coun- 
sel and excellent in working." Probably, therefore, they ought to 
be thus understood here. To say merely that Christ is a Counsellor, 
may seem too mean a character for the Wisdom and Word of the 
Father : But to say that he is a " Wonderful Counsellor," is a 
great commendation. He hath been the Counsellor of his churclr 
in all ages, and the author and giver of all those excellent counsels 
which have been preserved to us in the writings of the prophets 
and apostles. For it was by the Spirit of Christ inspiring them, 
that they were enabled to prophesy and discourse so admirably 
concerning the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should fol- 
low, and the other infinitely momentous matters of his kingdom 
of grace and glory. All the important doctrines, holy precepts, 
precious promises, and awful threatenings contained in the sacred 



374 



ON THE NATIVITY 



oracles of Eternal Truth, have been derived from this source. 
And by his admirable counsels, and the unsearchable plans and 
schemes of his most wise and adorable providence, the world hath 
been governed, and the church gathered, enlarged, and preserved 
from the beginning hitherto. In the meantime, his power is equal 
to his wisdom. For he is, 

3dly. The Mighty God. This title, certainly, can agree to 
none but Christ. The Hebrew word Eel in the singular number, 
here rendered God, is never used of any creature. It is peculiar 
to the Almighty God, as will be evident to any who will be 
at the pains to peruse all the texts in the Hebrew Bible, where it 
occurs. And although, as an eminent divine observes, the title of 
EloJiim, which is in the plural number, be twice or thrice ascribed 
to certain men, as to magistrates, yet there is constantly added some 
diminishing expression, as when they are said to be " afraid,"* and 
"to die:"f whereas here, the epithet of Mighty, is added, as it fre- 
quently is, to the name of the True God, by the inspired writers, 
and is characteristic of his majesty and divine power : As Deut. 
x. 1 7. " The Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of Lords, 
a great God, a mighty and terrible." 

To be more particular. How do we learn to know the True 
God, and to distinguish him from all other beings ? Is it not by 
those divine names, titles, attributes, and works, which we find 
ascribed to him in the holy scriptures, and in the writings and dis- 
courses of wise and holy men, and which cannot, with propriety, 
be ascribed to any other being in the universe; and by that reli- 
gious worship which we are authorized to address to him, and 
which, if addressed to any other, would be manifest idolatry? 
IN~ow, all these are ascribed to Christ by the inspired writers, and 
are represented as of right belonging to him. 

1 . Divine names are given to Christ. That the name Lord is 
continually applied to Christ, by the apostles and evangelists, will 
not be doubted by any that have read their writings. And al- 
though this appellation, as applied to him, may sometimes mean no 
more than the word master, or governor, or proprietor ; yet, me- 
thinks, when he is termed The Lord of all,J and the Lord from 
heaven, § the word is evidently used in that absolute sense which 



* Job xli. 25. f Psa. lxxxii. 7. % Acts x. 36. ^ 1 Cor. xv. 47. 



OF CHRIST. 



375 



is not applicable to any creature. It is well known, also, that he 
is frequently called God, in the New Testament. " The Word 
was God," says St. John.* " God over all," observes St. PauLf 
" God was manifest in the flesh," testifies he again."J 
" They shall call his name Itmnanuel" predicts Isaiah, " which, 
being interpreted/' St. Matthew informs us, "is God with us." 
" My Lord and my God," was Thomas's address to him," which 
address would evidently have been an act of idolatry, if Christ 
had been a mere creature, and Thomas, instead of being commend- 
ed by his Master for making such a confession of his faith, would 
certainly have been censured by him for a manifest breach of 
the first commandment. 

The name Jehovah is acknowledged by all to be peculiar to the 
Deity, and not communicable to any creature, as is signified by 
the Psalmist, when he says, " Thou whose name alone is Jehovah, 
art most high above all the earth." Now this appellation also is 
repeatedly given to Christ by the inspired writers. This is the 
name," says Jeremiah,§ " whereby he shall be called, Jehovah 
our Righteousness." "Sanctify Jehovah, God of Hosts him- 
self" says Isaiah, || " and let him be your fear, and let him be 
your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of 
stumbling and rock of offence to both the houses of Israel ; and 
many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be 
snared, and be taken : Bind up the testimony, and seal the law 
among my disciples," &c. Now as this passage was evidently 
meant of the Messiah, so we find it repeatedly and expressly ap- 
plied to him in the New Testament. Old Simeon, with the child 
Jesus in his arms, refers to it when he says,^T " This child is set 
for the fall and rising again of many in Israel." St. Peter refers to 
if,** when having quoted Isaiah's words, " Behold, I lay in Zion 
a chief corner-stone," and those of David, "The stone which the 
builders disallowed, the same is the head of the corner," he pro- 
ceeds to quote these words also as intended of him, and terms him 
" a stone of stumbling, and rock of offence to those who stumble 
at the word." St. Paul is still more express,ff " Israel hath not 
attained to the law of righteousness : Wherefore ? Because they 

* John I X. f Rom. ix. 5. % 1 Tim. iii. 16. § Jer. xxiii. 6. || Isa. 
13, 14. f Luke ii. 34. ** 1 Pet. it 6—8. ft Rom. ix. 31—33. 



376 



ON THE NATIVITY 



sought it not by faith, but, as it were, by the works of the law, for 
they stumbled at that siumbling-stone, as it is written. Behold, I 
lay in Zion a stumbling stone, and rock of offence." It is of 
Jehovah that the Psalmist speaks, when he says,* kt Confounded be 
all they that serve graven images. Worship him, all ye gods;" 
and "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of 
the earth, and the heavens are the work of thine hands." Now, 
both these passages are applied to Christ, in the first chapter of the 
epistle to the Hebrews, and are represented as being intended of 
him. It is of Jehovah David speaks in the 18th verse of the 
68th Psalm, " Thou hast ascended up on high," &c. yet these 
words also, St. Paul applies to Christ, Epb. iv. 8. Isaiah's vision 
of Jehovah, chap. vi. Is is said by St. John,f to have been a 
vision of Christ; and the person before whom John the Baptist 
went in the power and spirit of EUas to prepare his way, and who 
was certainly Christ, is termed Jehovah, both by Isaiah and Mala- 
chi. So that divine names, even the incommunicable name Jeho- 
vah, is certainly given to him, and that frequently. 

2dly, Divine titles are also ascribed to him. St. John terms 
him, at the close of his 1st epistle, " The True God and Eter- 
nal Life," and that in the very place where he cautions his read- 
ers against idolatry, saying, in the next verse, " Little children, 
keep yourselves from idols." St. Paul calls him, " our Great 
God and Saviour,"^ as the original words are, and " God bless- 
ed for ever."§ He also,|| as well as St. James,1T terms him, 
" The Lord of Glory," a title of the same import with " King 
of glory" which is an appellation whereby the True God is 
distinguished by David. ## The title, King of kings, and Lord 
of lords, which is appropriated to the Supreme God in the holy 
scriptures, is also repeatedly ascribed to Christ by the apostle 
Johu : " The Lamb shall overcome them, for he is King of kings 
and Lord of LORDs."ff "He hath on his vesture and on his 
thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.' || 
And what is, perhaps, still more striking, and will carry still fuller 
conviction to every mind, he is again and again said to be The 
First and the Last. That this is a title peculiarly claimed by 



* Psa. xcvii. 7. and cii. 25. f John xii. 41. \ Titus ii. 12. § Rom. 
ix. 5. || 1 Cor. ii. 8. % James ii. 1. ** Psa. xxiv. 7, 8. ft R ev. 
xiv. Vt. %X Rev. xix, (? 



OF CHRIST. 



377 



the one Living and True God, appears evidently from sundry parts 
of Isaiah's prophecy, as from chap. xli. 4. "Who hath Avrought 
and done it, calling the generations from the beginning ? I Jehovah, 
the first and with the last." Again, chap. xliv. 6. " Thus 
saith Jehovah the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of 
Hosts, I am the first and I am the last, and besides me 
there is no God." Now, Rev. i. 10. we find the Sou of God lay- 
ing claim to, and using these titles as his own. " I was in the Spi- 
rit on the Lord's day," says St. John, " and I heard behind me a 
great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, 
the First and the Last, and what thou seest write; and I 
turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I 
saw seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst of the seven can- 
dlesticks, one like unto the Son (or rather a son) of man, clothed 
with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breast with a 
golden girdle. His head and his hair were white like wool, as 
white as snow ; and his eyes were as a flame of fire : And his feet 
like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice 
as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven 
stars : And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword : And 
his countenance was as when the sun shineth in his strength: And 
when 1 saw him, I fell at his feec as dead. And he laid his right 
hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not, I am the First and 
the Last : I am he that Hveth and was dead, and, behold, I am 
alive for evermore, Amen; And have the keys of hades and of 
death." The force of this argument, I think, is completely irre- 
sistible. It surely must carry conviction to every mind. 

Some of you may, probably, wonder why I do not quote the 
8 th verse of this chapter, in proof of the point in hand. But the 
reason is, that it is doubtful whether it was intended of the Father or 
of the Son. The words I refer to are, ?< I am Alpha and Omega, 
the Beginning and the Ending, saith the Lord, who is, and who 
was, and w r ho is to come, the Almighty." The context, indeed, 
seems to favour the application of these words to the Lord Jesus i 
and, I believe, it will be difficult to prove that they are not spoken, 
of him. But as I wish to allege no arguments that are not evi» 
dently conclusive, I waive this, observing, however, in the words of 
Dr. Doddridge's note on the verse, that, 16 if the words should be 
understood as spoken of the Father, our Lord's applying so many 

Z 7, 



ON THE NATIVITY 



of these titles afterwards to himself, plainly proves his partaking 
with the Father, in the glory peculiar to the divine nature, and 
incommunicable to any creature." « For otherwise," as I have 
remarked in my Vindication of the Catholic faith, " would it not 
seem strange, not to say impious and blasphemous, after the Father 
had characterized his person by his peculiar titles, saying, I am 
Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, for a mere crea- 
ture immediately to echo back the same words, and say, / am 
Alphajand Omega, the First and the Last ? and to do this a second 
time, and that after displaying glories surely above any thing con- 
ceivable in man or angel, saying, I am the First and the Last ? nay, 
and to do it a third time, in the same words, within a few sentences, 
as is recorded in the 8th verse of the next chapter, these things 
saith the First and the Last, -who was dead and is alive " " If 
then," as I have remarked further in that work, "we were in any 
doubt in what sense to understand the prophets and apostles, when 
they call Christ God, (as we have seen they frequently do,) we can 
be in doubt no longer, when we see epithets descriptive of true 
and proper Deity, joined with these names and the highest titles of 
the supreme God, frequently claimed by him, and given to him." 

8. I come next to show that the incommunicable attributes of the 
godhead are also ascribed to Christ. If any attributes of Deity 
are more incommunicable than others, they are those of omni- 
science, omnipresence, omnipotence, eternity, and immutability. And 
we find all these expressly ascribed to Christ in the scriptures of 
truth. To know the heart of man belongs only to omniscience, and 
it is claimed by Jehovah as his peculiar prerogative. " I the Lord 
search the heart, I try the reins."* " Thou, even thou only, know- 
est the hearts of all the children of men."f But the Son of God is 
represented in the divine oracles, as possessed of this perfection of 
Deity. " Lord, thou knowest all things," says the apostle Peter,| 
" thou knowest that I love thee." " Jesus knew their thoughts," 
says Matthew, § "Jesus knew r all men," says St. Johu,|| "and 
needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was 
in man." And Christ himself confirms the testimony of his three 
apostles, when he speaks from heaven, and says, "all the churches 

* Jer. xvii. 9, 10. f 1 Kings viii. 39. J John xxi. 17 
$ Matt. xiii. 25. |j John ii. 24, 25, 



OF CHRIST, 



379 



shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and the 
heart " To this may be added the testimony of St. Paul above 
quoted, which assures us that, ** In him are hid all the treasures of 
wisdom and knowledge." 

Omnipresence is another peculiar attribute of the Deity. "Am 
I a God at hand," says he,* " and not a God afar off? Can any 
hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him ? Do I not fill 
heaven and earth, saith the Lord ?" And yet this divine perfec- 
tion is claimed by Christ, when he says, " where two or three are 
met together in my name, I am there in the midst of them ;"f and, 
" lo, i am with you always, even unto the end of the world.'*;); Or, 
when he declares, " behold, I stand at the door and knock :" and 
promises, tw If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will 
eome in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."§ JNow, 
if Jesus be able to fulfil, and if he really do fulfil such promises a3 
these, must he not be omnipresent ? For who but an Omnipre- 
sent, and, may I not say, an infinite being, can be present in 
thousands, yea, hundreds of thousands of congregations, assembled 
in different parts of the earth, at one and the same time? and 
present at the door of, aud even in the heart of every true believer 
in all those congregations ? Does not this show that his presence is 
as universal through our world, as the presence of the light or air ? 
JBut we find it is not confiued to this globe of ours, but is extended 
through universal nature, for, says the apostle,|| " By (or rather 
£v avja, in) him all things consist," c-vh^ks, all upheld or sup 
ported, viz. by his universally diffused and all-pervading presence. 
For, he upholdeth all things by the word of his power, ,M jr and 
"filleth all things,"** especially his church, to which, and to eveiy 
member of which, he is a head of vital influence, and which he so 
enriches with gifts and graces, that it is termed by St. Paul, " the 
fulness of Him that filleth all in all." 

Almighty power is another property of the godhead, and when 
the apostle says that, « He is able to subdue all things to himself."ff 
he evidently ascribes this perfection to Christ. Tndeed, when 
Jesus himself speaks such language as the following, w My Father 

* Jer. xxiii. 23, 24. f Matt, xviii. 20. J Matt, xxviii. 20. § Rev. iii. 20 
V Col. i. 17 f Hob. i. 3. *f Eph. iv 10. ft F»liil iii. 21 



380 



ON THE NATIVITY 



worketh hitherto, and I work. What things soever the Father 
doth, these doth the Son likewise. As the Father raiseth up the 
dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son also quickeneth whom 
he will," he evidently lays claim to this property. Hence, the god- 
like works which he performed, prove the same ; works that he 
continually appealed to in proof of his mission and deity, saying, 
t{ If 1 do not the works of ray Father, (such works as only the 
Supreme God can do,) believe me not: But if I do, though ye 
believe not me, believe the works, that ye may know that the 
Father is in me, and I in him."* 

I mentioned also eternity, as an attribute belonging to the Sou 
of God. Does Moses describe the eternity of Jehovah, when he 
says,f " Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou 
hadst formed the earth or the world, even from everlasting to ever- 
lasting thou art God!" St. John testifies of the Word, that he was 
in the beginning with God; Jesus says of himself, that he had 
glory with the Father before the world was, and that the Father 
loved him before the foundation of the world, and that he is " Alpha 
and Omega, the First and the Last," and the prophet Micah 
affirms,! that " his goings forth have been of old, from everlast- 
ing;" ch\y Cnpn from of old, from the days of eternity; for 
the Hebrew word is the same with that whereby Moses expresses 
the eternity of the Father in the verse just quoted. Hence the 
apostle, speaking of his type Melchisedec, king of righteous- 
ness, and king of peace, describes him as without father, without 
mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end 
if life; but made like unto the Son of God$ or a proper type of 
him who is eternal. 

I shall only name one more attribute of the godhead, as ascribed 
to Christ in the sacred scriptures, and that is immutability. If 
the immutability of the Father is described by himself, when he 
says, * I change not,"|| and by St. James, when he affirms, that 
with him <( is no variableness nor shadow of turning ;" the same 
divine perfection is ascribed by the author of the epistle to the 
Hebrews, to the Son of God, when it is affirmed that " He is 



* Joha x. 37, f Psa. xc. 2. % Micah v. 2. § Heb. vii. 3, 
i| Mai, ill 6. 



OF CHRIST. 



381 



THE SAME YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND FOR EVER," and when the 

words of David concerning Jehovah, quoted above, are ascribed 
to him, " They (the heavens and the earth) shall perish : But thou 
remainest : And they all shall wax old as a garment, and as a ves- 
ture shaltthou fold them up, and they shall be changed: But thou 

ART THE SAME, AND THY YEARS FAIL NOT than which, I ap. 

prehend, no words can possibly more strongly express immutability. 
But it is not necessary to dwell so long upon particulars : He him- 
self declares,* " All things that the Father hath are mine" All 
the names, titles, and attributes of the Father are his. Indeed, the 
Father himself is his, and dwells in him in all his fulness; so that 
the Son is never without the Father, any more than the Father is 
without the Son. 

4. Another argument in proof of the proper deity of Christ, is 
taken from the divine works, which are all repeatedly ascribed to 
him in the holy scriptures, and especially those of creation and 
preservation^ to which I shall now confine myself. By that Word 
which was in the beginning with God, according to St. John, " all 
things were made, and without him was not any thing made that 
was made," " He was in the world," says he again, kt and the world 
was made by him" " By him," testifies St. Paul, " were all 
things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and 
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, 
or powers : All things were created by him." " Thou, Lcrd, in 
the beginning," says the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, ad- 
dressing Christ, as we have seen, in the language of David, M hast 
laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of 
thine hands."! 

* John xvi. 15. 

f It is not denied, observe, that the Father, who is the fountain of Deity 
and of divine power, is also the primary cause of all the divine works. 
Certainly, he is continually represented in scripture in this light. But the 
passages which have been quoted, with others, that, if need were, might be 
adduced, make it evident, that the apostles considered " the Word that was 
in the beginning with God," as the immediate, and if I may so express my- 
self, as the operative Creator of them. St. Paul seems to make the proper 
distinction between the office of the Father, in the creation and presen ation 
of all things, and that of the Son, when he says, u fiod, viz. the Father, 
created all things by Jesus Christ," and characterizes the Father as the 



332 



ON THE NATIVITY 



It seems hardly necessary that I should add, that the divine 

oracles ascribe the preservation and government of all things to 
Christ, in the same sense in which they attribute to him their crea- 
tion, in the verse above quoted. When, therefore, we read that 
all animate creatures live, and move, and have their being in the 
Father, and that he is above all, and through all, and in all, it is 
to be understood, that this is in and through his Son and Spirit, who 

Being of whom are all things, and the Lord Jesus as the person, by whom 
are all things * In short, they consider the Son of God as the Creating 
Wisdom, and Word, and Power of the Father, who both devised the plan of 
the universe, and executed what he had designed. In this light, it is evi- 
dent, those ancient Fathers of the christian church, who lived nearest to the 
apostolic age, considered the doctrine of the apostles on this subject. 
Bishop Bull, in his " Defence of the Niceue Faith," quotes the following pas- 
sage from Justin's epistle to Diognetus. " He, the Almighty, the Creator of 
all things, the invisible God, hath implanted among men, the heavenly Truth, 
the Word, holy and incomprehensible; not sending a servant, an angel; — 
but the Artificer and Maker of all things, by whom he formed the heavens, 
and shut in the sea in its proper bounds : Whose mysteries all the elements 
faithfully observe,*' &c. He quotes Athenagoras to the same purpose. « The 
Son of God is the Word of the Father in Idea and Energy. All things were 
made by him and for him, The Son of God, is the 3Iind and Word of the 
Father" From Irenaeus he produces some passages equally explicit, 
" Nor shall any thing made and in subjection, be compared with the Word 
of God, by whom all things were made, who is our Lord Jesus Christ." 
Again, " The Son, who is the Word of God, laid out these things from the 
beginning, the Father not standing in need of angels for the creation of the 
world, and the making of man, for whom the world was created, nor want- 
ing a ministerial power for making these things that are made. For his own 
Offspring and Impress ministers to him in all things, — to whom angels are 
subject and minister." And yet again, " All things were made by him, and 
without him was nothing made. Here is no exception : But the Father made 
all things by him, whether visible or invisible; sensible or intellectual; tem- 
poral, for a certain purpose, or eternal. He made all things, not by angels 
or powers, different from his own mind. For the God of all things wants 
nothing: but by his Word and Spirit, makes, disposes, and governs all 
things." To these testimonies of Justin, Athenagoras, and Irenaeus, 1 shall 
only add the following passage of Origen. " The Word, the Son of God, is 
the immediate, and, as it were, the very franier of the world : The Father of 
the Word, in that he ordered the Word, his Son, to make the world, is pri- 
mary Creator." 

* 1 Cor. viii. 6. 



OF CHRIST, 



383 



are in and with him, and never separated from him. Add to this, 
that all things are expressly said to have been created for, as 
well as by the Son of God. and He, as the only-begotten of the 
Father, is represented as Heir and Lord of all. 

5. One, and ouly one more argument shall I now produce, to 
prove, that " the Child born," and <; the Son given," who has "the 
government upon his shoulder,'' and whose " name is Wonderful," 
is the Mighty God, possessed of true and proper deity : And. that 
is, that true and proper divine worship is due to him, and has been, 
is, and must be paid to him. And here I shall not refer to the 
various instances recorded in the gospel, of persons worshipping 
him, because here may be som? reasons to doubt whether such per- 
sons did really mean to pay him proper religious and divine wor- 
ship, as a person whom they belitved to be truly God, or only 
some civil, although extraordinary honour and respect. It ap- 
pears to me, however, that had not our Lord been God, and had 
not proper religious and divine worship been his due, he would 
Hot have permitted those persons to have prostrated themselves 
before him in the manner they did. For we find, that neither 
the angel that communicated to St. John the mysteries contained 
in the Apocalypse, nor the apostles, would permit such respect to 
be paid them." " I fell down at his feet to worship him," says St. 
John, " and he said to me, See thou do it not, I am thy fellow- 
servant." And again, " I fell down to worship before the feet of 
the angel, and he said, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-ser- 
vant, worship God." As Peter was entering Cornelius's house, 
w Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped 
him : But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up i I myself also am 
a man." Now, is it not very remarkable, that Jesus Christ, who 
certainly had not less, but unspeakably more concern for the glory 
of the only -living and true God, than either this angel or St. Peter, 
should never forbid such respect to be paid to himself, nor check 
those who actually paid it ? Does not this show to a demonstration, 
that he knew himself to have that right to the worship of mankind,, 
which the angels and apostles, who were but his creatures, had 
not? 

And, indeed, well might he know this. For the Father, 
when he brought his First-begotten into the world, had said, " Let 
all the angels of God worship him," An injunction confirmed by 



-384 



ON THE NATIVITY 



Christ himself, who assures us that, «* the Father hath committed 
all judgment unto the Son, that all men might honour the Sou, 
even as they honour the Father, 1 ' and that, "he that honoureth not 
the Son, honoureth not the Father." Accordingly we find both 
prayer and praise frequently addressed to Christ, by those who 5 
of all others, were most likely to know the mind and will of God 
in this matter; 1 mean the apostles, whom the Spirit of truth had 
guided into all needful truth. In the days of his flesh they pra} ed 
to him to increase their faith. Alter his ascension, Stephen, 
when dying, in the most solemn and earnest manner, invoked him 
and said, " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." St. Paul besought 
him thrice, that the thorn in his flesh, the messenger of Satan, 
that buffeted him, might depart from him," and received for an- 
swer, " My grace is sufficient for thee : My strength, (dwotftts, my 
power, is made perfect in weakness.") which answer to his request 
induced the apostle to exclaim, "Most gladly will I glory in my infir- 
mities, that the power, (the same word in the original,) of Christ may 
rest upon me." He begins almost all his epistles with a prayer, for 
*' Grace and peace," as " from God the Father," so also " from 
our Lord Jesus Christ;" and concludes several of them with, 
" The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all,"-— or, " with 
you," — or, " with thy Spirit." And sometimes we find him pre» 
senting us with set, solemn, and formal prayers, addressed to the 
Lord Jesus, together with the Father. Thus, " Now God himself, 
even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way un- 
to you : and the Lord, (viz. Christ,) make you to increase in love 
one towards another, and towards all men, to the end that he, 
(Christ,) may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness, before 
God, even our Father."* And again, " Now our Lord Jesus 
Christ himself, and God, even our Father, who hath loved us, 
and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through 
grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word 
and work." Add to this, that the first Christians in general, are 
described iu the inspired writings, as calling on the name of Jesus 
Christ. Thus, Ananias, speaking of Saul, says,f " He hath 
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name" 
and St. Paul directs one of his principal epistles to all that, m 



* 1 Thesa, Yil V2. Id, 



f Acts ix. l-t 



QV CHRIST. 



335 



every place, " call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both 
theirs, says he, and owrs."* 

That praise, and honour, and glory, are ascribed to Christ, as 
well as to the Father, I need not say. You all recollect, I pre- 
sume, that divers instances of this occur in the New Testament. 
One, aud that not a little remarkable, occurs at the close of St. Pe- 
ter's second epistle. He had concluded his former epistle, with 
ascribing honour, in the following words, to the Father the God of all 
grace, who hath called us to his own eternal glory by Christ Jesus, 
" To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever! Amen." And 
at the close of the second, speaking of the Son, in whose grace, 
and in the knowledge of whom he exhorts us to grow, he ascribes 
similar honour to him, saying, in almost the same words, " To 
him be glory, now and for ever ! Amen/' Of a similar kind is the 
language of St. John,f " Unto him that hath loved us, and wash- 
ed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings ad 
priests unto God and his Father, To him be glory and dominion 
for ever and ever f ' And this language, you well know, has had, 
and still has the sanction of all the angelic armies, and shall have 
that of every creature in one form or another. For, « I beheld," 
says St. John,J " and heard the voice of many angels round 
about the throne, and the number of them was ten thousand times 
len thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud 
voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and 
riches, and wisdom, aud strength, and honour, and glory, and 
blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, 
and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are 
in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and 
power, be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb 
for ever and ever." 

Now, you well know, that prayer and praise imply all other 

acts of worship, even such as are internal. Prayer, if sincere, 

implies desire, confidence aud hope ; and praise implies gratitude 

and love. If, therefore, it be proper to address prayer and praise 

to the Lord Jesus, it is proper that our desire should be unto him, 

our confidence in him, and our expectation from him, for such 

blessings as we want, and that he should be the object of our love 

and gratitude. 

* 2 Cor. i. 2 f Rev. i. 5, 6. 1 Rev. v. 11—14. 
3 A 



336 



ON THE NATIVITY 



Accordingly, this we find was actually the case with the apos- 
tles and first christians. Their desire was directed to the Lord 
Jesus, and their hope and confidence were placed in him for the 
greatest of all blessings, even for eternal salvation ; and He, in 
union with the Father, was the great object of their unlimited gra- 
titude and love. Hence it is, that we meet with such passages as 
the follow iug in the apostolic writings, " whosoever believeth in 
him shall not be ashamed." " He that believeth in him shall not 
be confounded." Ye believe in God, bf.lteve also in me." 
" There shall arise a Root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reigu 
over the Gentiles, in him shall the Gentiles trust." "That we 
should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ, ia 
whom ye also trusted." "Jesus Christ our hope." " Christ ia 
you the hope of glory." " I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who 
hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me ia 
the ministry." " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? Lord, 
thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee." " Grace 
be with all those that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." 
* If any man love not the Lord Jesus, let him be Anathema^ 
Marau-atha." 

Now, as I have observed in the Vindication above referred to, 
" these, and such like passages, show, that the Lord Jesus was* 
worshipped, and that in the highest sense, viz. in spirit and ia 
truth, and with the best and purest worship, the worship of the 
heart." They show that he was the object of the religious confi- 
dence and hope, gratitude and love of his ancient servants, and that 
in an unlimited degree, which surely no mere creature was or could 
be. And as a fruit of this, their whole lives were dedicated to 
him. 

"The love of Christ constrained them, so that they lived not 
unto themselves, but unto him that died for them, and rose again." 
Yea, " none of them lived unto himself, or died unto himself : but 
whether they lived they lived unto the Lord, or whether they died 
they died unto the Lord : living or dying therefore they were the 
Lord's." Considering themselves as his servants, they were wholly 
devoted to, and employed in doing his will, and promoting his glory, 
« not accounting even their lives dear to themselves, so that they 
might finish their course with joy, and that Christ might be magni 
fied by their bodies, whether by life or death." 



OF CHRIST, 



'337 



Let us now compare all this with those precepts of the law, which 
prohibit, in the most express terms, our worshipping any being but 
Jehovah, the living and true God, and we shall no longer entertain 
any doubt concerning the true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. We need not wonder, therefore, that he is entitled, 

4thly. The Everlasting Father. As I have enlarged so much 
on the last particular, I shall be very short on this and the follow- 
ing. " They who apply this to Hezekiah, render it, The Father 
of an age, and expound it of his long life, and numerous posterity, 
which shows to what absurd shifts they are driven, who interpret 
this text of any other but Christ. For Hezekiah did not live very 
long, nor had he, that we read of, more than one son, viz. Manas- 
seh. And if both these things had been true of him, they were 
much more eminently true of many others. But the Messiah, the 
Word that was in the beginning with God, was, in union with his 
Father, the Father of all things : the creation and preservation of 
the universe being, as we have seen, ascribed to him by the inspi- 
red writers. And. he is the Father of all believers, who are called 
his children in the scriptures,* as being begotten by his gospel ; and 
his tenderness towards them, and fatherly care of them, is everlast- 
ing. He is also the Author of everlasting life and happiness j in 
other words, he is the Father of a blessed eternity to them : for says 
the apostle, he is " the author of eternal salvation to all that obey 
him." Add to this, that he is the Father of the world to come-, as 
the Septuagint version of the Old Testament renders the words, 
that is, the Father of the gospel state, which, according to the author 
•f the epistle to the Hebrews, is put in subjection to him, and not 
to angels, f He was from eternity the Father of the great work of 
redemption and salvation. His heart was set upon it, and it was 
the product of his wisdo?n 3 as the Counsellor, and of his love , as the 
Everlasting Father. 

5. We have now only to notice one title more. He is the Prince 
of Peace. It is certain that this character does not suit Hezekiah, 
whose reign was far from being free from wars ; but it agrees per- 
fectly to Christ, who is repeatedly}: termed our Peace, in scripture. 
He, as you are well informed, hath made peace between God and 
man, " the chastisement of our peace," that is, the condemnation and 

•* Isa. viK. 1$ and Heb. fi. 13. f Heb. ii, 5. | Micah v. f>. F-ph. ii. 1% 



388 



ON THE NATIVITY 



punishment of our sins, which was necessary to procure our peace, 
being laid on him. " When we were enemies, we were reconciled 
unto God by the death of his Son." " For, it pleased the Father, 
that in him should all fulness dwell, and having made peace through 
the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things," or per- 
sons, " to himself, whether those" still alive i( on earth, or those" 
who have died in the faith, and are now " in heaven." For " God 
is in him, reconciling the world to himself, and not imputing their 
trespasses unto them." True believers, therefore, who accept the 
blessing in genuine repentance, although formerly li alienated, and 
enemies in their minds by wicked works, are now reconciled in the 
body of his flesh through death, and "being justified by faith, 
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." For peace 
of conscience and tranquillity of mind, are the effect of his merits, 
and the fruit of his Spirit, and are obtained by faith in him. He 
is also said to be the Peace, because he hath made " both Jews and 
Gentiles one, having broken down the middle wall of partition 
between them ;" and wherever the influence of his grace is truly 
experienced, man, being reconciled to God, is also reconciled to 
man, and peace and mutual love take place. 

tf His kingdom from above, He doth to us impart, 
And pure benevolence and love, Overflow the faithful heart* 
Chang'd in a moment, we, The sweet attraction find, 
With open arms of charity, Embracing all mankind." 

I shall only add that, as a Prince he is 'peaceable^ commanding, 
making, and preserving peace in his kingdom: that he leaves 
peace as a legacy to his disciples, and is the author of it and of all 
blessings, temporal spiritual, and eternal to them. 

Let me now only beg your patience a momeut longer, till, with a 
much brevity as possible, X draw some inferences from what has 
been advanced. 

And, 1st. Is the name or person of the Messiah wonderful, myste- 
rious, or secret ? Then, while we frequently and seriously meditate 
thereon, and determine, with St. Paul, to know nothing in compa- 
rison of him, let us not be surprised if we cannot fully comprehend 
the awful, although delightful subject : and if, after all our reading 
and hearing, study and contemplation, his person aud nature remain 
jtill an unsearchable mystery. While, with the same apostle, we 



©F CHRIST. 



389 



" count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of 
Christ Jesus our Lord while we seek eagerly and with unwearied 
diligence," to know him, and the power of his resurrection, and 
the idlowship of his sufferings :" and as St. Peter exhorts, labour 
" to grow in grace, and in the knoAvledge of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ;" let us not fail to check all idle and extravagant 
curiosity respecting both his person and government. And believing 
in simplicity, as far as we understand them, the declarations of the 
inspired penman concerning him, let as adore where we cauuot com- 
prehend, remembering that, at the best, we see through a glass 
darkly, w hile on earth, and that genuine love and true holiness, 
rather than profound investigation and perfect knowledge, must be 
our principal objects of attention and pursuit. 

2. Does the Messiah also bear the name of Counsellor, or Won- 
derful Counsellor? And is his nature in reality what his name 
imports ? Then let us make application to him for direction in all 
our straits aud difficulties, with humility of mind and confidence 
of hope, fully persuaded that he will not deny us the blessing 
which his very name authorizes us to expect. Let us si trust in 
him," as the wise man advises, " with all our heart, and not lean to 
our own understanding ; let us acknowledge him in all our ways, 
and he will direct our steps." We shall not be suffered greatly to 
err, either as to truth or duty : but " our light shall rise in obscu- 
rity, and our darkness be as the noon-day." He will lead us, 
though " blind, by a Aray that we know not, and guide us in paths 
that we have not known : he will make darkness light before us, 
and crooked things straight : these things will he do unto us, and 
not forsake us and we shall evidently be those " children of God 
that are led by the Spirit of God." 

4. Is this same Messiah the Mighty God? Then let us reve- 
rence and fear him, worship and serve him as such. Let us not 
dare to neglect, disobey, or reject him. Although he is our Re- 
deemer and Saviour, yet we must recollect, he is also our Lawgiver 
and our Judge, and it is a " fearful thing to fall into the hands" of 
his righteous indignation and wrath. Let us take care, then, that " we 
Tefuse not him that speaketh. For, if they escaped not that turned 
away from Moses, that spake on earth, much less shall we escape, if 
we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven; whose voice" on 
Sinai, "shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saving, yet 



ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST. 



once more I shake not the earth only, but heaven also. Where- 
fore, we receiving a kingdom" from this King of saints, whom the 
Father hath set upon his holy hill of Sion ; " let us have grace? 
whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly 
fear, for our God is a consuming fire." 

4. Ts this Mighty God, also, the Everlasting Father, and the 
Prince of Peace ? Then let us take care that while we are his 
children, being begotten by his gospel, and while we confide in him 
with filial love and affection, we also manifest that we are in all 
proper and orderly subjection to him as our sovereign Lord and 
King. And as he is King of Peace, as well as Righteousness, 
while through him being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God, and peace of conscience, let us demonstrate also by our peace* 
able disposition, by our living in love and harmony with the people 
of God, and as much as in us lieth, by our " following peace with 
all men," that we are, indeed, his genuine subjects, that his king- 
dom of righteousness and peace is in our hearts, and that we are in 
the highway to his kingdom of everlasting peace and felicity <> 
Amen. 



SERMON XVIII. 



THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT EVERY WHERE 
SPOKEN AGAINST, IMPARTIALLY CONSIDERED, IN A DL5, 
COURSE DELIVERED AT THE OPENING OF THE METHOD- 
IST CHAPEL AT TWICKENHAM, DEC. 14, 1800. 

We desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: For as concerning 
this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against. Acts 
xxviii. 22. 

i. Such was the just and reasonable language of some of the 
Inhabitants of the greatest city in the world, to a poor, despised, 
and persecuted disciple of Jesus Christ, who appeared among them 
with every disadvantage, having been sent to Rome a prisoner, 
and being, at this very time, bound with a chain. It is true, they 
were not native Romans, as it appears, but Jews, who spake thus. 
But this very circumstance, one would have supposed, might have 
increased their prejudices against him, as he was known to be an 
abettor of the cause which their countrymen and the chiefs of their 
nation in Judea had condemned; and a disciple of the man whom 



392 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



the rulers of their people had lately executed as a malefactor upon 
a cross. Nevertheless, although appearances were so much 
against him, and although there were so many reasons why they 
should give him no countenance, but despise and persecute him, as 
their friends in Jerusalem had done ; they had so far imbibed the 
fair and equitable principles of the imperial city where they resi- 
ded, that they determined to check every risiDg prejudice, and 
give him a patient hearing, judgiDg it unjust to condemn a man or 
a party, or a cause, unheard. " We desire to hear of thee what 
thou thinkest, for, as concerning this sect, we know that every 
where it is spoken against." 

2. Methinks, ray brethren, their conduct in this matter reflects 
censure and disgrace upon many in our day, who readily believe 
and propagate every idle tale that they happen to hear to the dis- 
advantage of others, and make no scruple to condemn and revile 
whole communities of people, whose principles and conduct they 
neither understand, nor will be at the pains to examine. This, 
however, I trust, is not your practice. You, who call yourselves 5 
and who, many of you, I hope, are christians, will surely have as 
much justice as the Jews or Heathens at Rome. You will patient- 
ly hear a cause before you judge it, and will not condemn what 
you have not considered. 

And, persuaded that spiritual things differ in this from natural, 
that they cannot be rightly understood, bat by the teaching of the 
Holy Spirit, according to the clear and forcible reasoning of this 
apostle, 1 Cor. ii. 11. " What man knoweth the things of a man," 
or the things that belong to human nature, " save the spirit of a 
man that is in him ? even so the things of God knoweth no man 
but by the Spirit of God :" — persuaded of this, I say, you will 
see the propriety of applying to God in prayer for the illumination 
of his Holy Spirit, that, as our Church observes, in her Collect 
lor Whitsunday, being taught hereby, you may " have a right 
judgment in all things," especially in things of such vast moment 
Now this is all we desire. Grant us this, and we ask no more. If, 
at any time, after you have heard our message, and endeavouring 
to devest your minds of prejudice, have sincerely and earnestly 
asked of God to enable you to form a right judgment concerning 
it, you think proper to reject it, we can do no more. We leave 
you to God and your own consciences, only observing for your 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST. 



393 



greater caution, and to prevent your coming to too hasty a conclu- 
sion, that ihese Jews at Rome rejected even the message of St. 
Paul; not, however, because they had devested their minds of 
prejudice, and sincerely addressed themselves to God in prayer, 
for supernatural light; but because they had not previously taken 
these necessaiy steps. 

3. I am glad, my brethren, for the truth/ 's sake, that you may 
believe and be saved, that I do not appear before you, in this 
place, to-day, under such disadvantageous circumstances as those 
under which St. Paul appeared at Rome. I was not brought to 
this town a prisouer, nor do I appear before you in chains. I am 
free, and have the same right to the privileges of an Englishman 
which any of you have, and to the protection of the good govern- 
ment under which we live; nor does the law allow any man to 
molest me, were any minded to do ii, in the exercise of my office 
in this licensed house. Add to this, that the circumstance of my 
professing to be a disciple of Him that was crucified in Judea can 
excite no prejudice in your minds against me, for you profess to 
do the same. In these respects, therefore, I address you with ad- 
vantages very superior to those which this apostle had in address- 
ing the Jews at Rome. But then, I must acknowledge on the 
other hand, that he was a much more able advocate for the truth 
than I can pretend to be. HoArever, as he did not go to any peo- 
ple confiding in '* excellency of speech, or of wisdom," but " in 
the demonstration of the Spirit and of power," which, from time 
to time, accompanied his word ; and as even he allowed, that he 
was not sufficient of himself for the important office of preaching 
the gospel, but acknowledged that his sufficiency was of God ; so 
the same Spirit and power are free for us : God can still aid the 
weakness of his servants, and cause us to know by our own expe- 
rience, that his grace is sufficient for us. Relying, then, on the 
help of this, let us, 

1 st. Inquire what the Sect was which is spoken of in my texr ? 
and what were the principles and conduct of its members. ■ • 

2dly. What we may suppose were the reasons why it was every 
where spoken against, and whether they who thu? reviled it, acted 
wisely, and were justified in so doing. 

3 r. 



394 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



I shall then, 3dly, mate some application of what has been ad 
vanced. 

And, 1st. We are to inquire what the Sect was which is spokes 
of in my text, and what were the principles and conduct of its 
members. 

1. This sect, you will recollect, was no other than that, termed 
by Tertullus * the sect of the Nazarenes," that is, of the Chris- 
tians, founded by Jesus of Nazareth, " a ringleader of which, as 
TertuHus expresses it, was this same Paul of Tarsus. And, first, 

2. As to the principles of this sect, it must be confessed that they 
differed widely from those, both of the Heathen and the Jews. Ia 
opposition to the heathen who were polytheists and idolaters ; who 
believed in a plurality of gods, and those gods either the work of 
men's hands, wood and stone, or mere imaginary beings, that had 
no existence, or corrupt and evil beings, that were in reality, devils ; 
the Christians held that there is only one God, and that he is self- 
existent and possessed of all possible perfections. They believed 
him to be infinite and eternal in all his attributes : in wisdom 
unsearchable, in power almighty, in love unbounded, in truth invio- 
lable, injustice impartial, in mercy unfathomable, and in holiness 
unspotted : that he is present every where, acquainted with every 
thing, even with the secrets of men's hearts, and can do whatever he 
will, whether " in heaven, or among the inhabitants of the earth, no 
creature being able to stay his hand, or say unto him, what dost 
thou ? They viewed him as the original creator, and continual 
preserver of the uuiverse of creatures, as the bountiful benefactor, 
and righteous governor of the human race, and as the final judge of 
men and angels, whom, as being formed intelligent, free, and immor- 
tal, or, as the scriptures speak, " after his image," they believed to 
be accountable to him, and dependent on him for their final doom. 
They acknowledged of course, that a future state of rewards and 
punishments await mankind, and that a future and general judg- 
ment will take place, the consequences of which will be everlasting. 

3. Herein they differed from many among the Jews also, evea 
from the whole sect of the Sadducees, whose doctrine it was, " that 
there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit" of man, that sur- 



* Acts xxiv. 5 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST, 



395 



vim the death of the body ; nor, indeed, any future state "what- 
ever; but that this life is the whole of our existence, and carnal 
pleasure our chief good. In opposition to another part of the Jews, 
the Pharisees, the professors of the day, the christians believed that 
man is a fallen creature, " very far gone from original righteous- 
ness," from the image of God, in which he was made, and that he 
is by nature a child of wrath, and, therefore, incapable of justifying 
himself by his own works before God : that. « there is none righ- 
teous" (by nature, or according to the holy and spiritual law of 
God,) " no, not one ; that all are gone out of the way, are together 
become unprofitable, and that there is none that doeth good," viz. 
from a right principle, and in the manner and degree required, " no, 
not one that man's <■* throat is an open sepulchre ; that with his 
tongue he uses deceit; that the poison of asps is under," even when 
honey is upon, w his lips ;" that his " mouth is," too often, " full of 
cursing and bitterness, his feet swift to shed blood, that destruction' 1 
to others, " and misery" to himself, " are in his ways, and the way 
of peace he has not known." 

4. But did they, therefore, leave mankind without hope, and 
abandon them to destruction and despair ? By no means. As they 
taught that God has a Son, an only Son, his eternal Word or Wis- 
dom, who was in the beginning with him, by whom all things were 
made; and without whom was not any thing made that was made ;" 
so they taught, also, that God had " so loved the world as to give 
this his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life :" that although he was his own 
and only Son, the Father had " not withheld him, but freely deli- 
vered him up to become incarnate, to live and die for us all ;" " had 
wounded him for our transgressions, bruised him for our iniquities, 
and laid on him the chastisement of our peace :" had " made him to 
be sin," or a sin-offering for us, " that we might be made the righ-> 
teousness of God in him," or might be justified and accounted, nay, 
and even constituted righteous, in and through faith in him, 

5. Hence they preached justification and salvation, present and 
eternal in his name, and through his mediation. " God," declared 
they, ct is in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not im- 
puting men's trespasses to them, and hath committed unto" his 
servants " the word of reconciliation. Now, then," added they. 
* we are ambapsador? for Christ, as though God did beseech yon 



396 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 
For, # through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of 
sins, and by him all that believe, (that believe in, and rely on him, 
with a faith that 44 workeih by love,"! that overcometh the world J: 
and purifieth the heart,"§) are justified from all things, from which 
they could not be justified by the law of Moses." 

In the same way, through the same atonement and grace of 
Christ, they preached regeneration and entire sanctification, decla- 
ring, that * not by works of righteousness which we have done, but 
according to his mercy he saves us : by the washing of regenera- 
tion, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which God sheds on 
believers abundantly, that being justified by grace, they may be 
made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." For, 

6. They taught that God, who has a Sou, has also a Spirit, often 
termed the Holy Ghost, as being infinitely holy in himself, and the 
one source of holiness to us : termed also the Spirit of truth, of life, 
and of grace, because it is his office to guide us into all necessary 
truth, to quicken our souls, which, by nature, are dead in tres- 
passes and sins, to open the life of God within us, to create us anew 
in Christ Jesus, and, (from day to day) to help our infirmities. He 
convinces, they assure us, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment ; 
and as a Spirit of adoption, " sent into the hearts of believers, 
crying, Abba, Father," " bears witness with their spirits that they 
are the children of God." He is, therefore, also a comforter, being 
a never-failing source of consolation, as well as of purity to God's 
people, and producing love, joy, and peace in their souls, as well as 
all other fruits of righteousness. This Spirit, they bore testimony, 
must not only be believed in and acknowledged, but received, and 
when received, makes mankind the temples of God, or " an habi- 
tation of God through the Spirit" here, and prepares them to 
dAvell with him hereafter. On the other hand, " If any man have 
not the Spirit of Christ," they uniformly declared that such an 
one " is none of his" but is still in the flesh, that is, in a carnal 
and unregenerate state, and incapable of being admitted into the 
kingdom of heaven, 

7. One thing more let me observe here. As they represented 
these blessings of justification, regeneration, and sanctification, with 



f Acts xiii. 88. f Gal. v. O. t 1 John v. 4, 5, $ Acts xv. 0. 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST, 



397 



$ie indwelling of the Holy Spirit in his gifts and graces, as free 
for all, without exception, Christ having, as they testified, "given 
himself a ransom" absolutely " for all," and " tasted death for 
every man " without the exception of one; so they required no- 
thing of mankind, in order to their partaking of this salvation in 
all these branches of it, but < c repentance towards God, and faith 
in our Lord Jesus Christ," both which blessings, however, they re- 
presented as the gifts of God, which would certainly be conferred 
on all that sincerely, earnestly, and perseveriugly sought them. 
" The kingdom of God is at hand," was their language, even that 
kingdom which is 6 righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy 
Ghost,"* lk Repent ye, and believe the gospel," as the way leading 
infallibly to it ; " Repent, and be baptized, in the name of the 
Lord Jesus," which certainly implied believing in his name, " for 
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Ghost, for the promise is uuto you, and to your children, and to 
those that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall 
call f " Testifying," says St. Paul, " both to Jews and Greeks, 
repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. "J 
They assured their hearers, however, that all genuine repentance 
would certainly be productive of fruits worthy of repentance, such 
as, " ceasing to do evil, and learning to do well." in all known in- 
stances; and that true faith in Christ and his gospel would infalli- 
bly produce love to God and man, and all those good works which 
they had ability and opportunity to perform, it being their avowed 
and constant doctrine, that " faith without works is dead." 

Such, then, were the leading principles of the Sect which was 
every where spoken against : These were its chief doctrines. But, 

2dly. What was the practice of its members ? This, perhaps, 
is of more consequence even than the former. 

1st. Then, they were in general, an innocent and harmless peo- 
ple. They injured no mao in his character, property, or person* 
And no wonder, for it was their constant care, as they were taught 
and commanded both by Christ, and by his apostles and evangel- 
ists, to imitate their Master^ whom none could ever convince of 
sin, " who did," nay, " who knew no sin, neither was guile found 



* Root, xiv. 17, f Acta ii, 38, 39 



398 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



in his mouth :" " who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate 
from sinners/' and whom his enemies, even Pilate, who condemned 
him, owned to be " an innocent and just man." Indeed, if they had 
not been innocent and harmless, at least in outward things, as they 
were continually and earnestly exhorted by the apostles and their 
other teachers, to be,* they could not have been continued in the 
society of christians, but must have been expelled from it. This 
appears from sundry passages of the New Testament, in which the 
christians are exhorted and required to " look diligently lest any 
of them should fail of," or fall from " the grace of God ; lest any 
root of bitterness should spring up, and trouble them, and thereby 
others should be defiled ; lest there should be among them any for- 
nicator or profane person, such as Esau/' They are required to 
" purge out the old leaven, that they might be a uew lump," aud 
to deliver the offending brother, that would not be reproved aud 
reformed, by a solemn act of excommunication to Satan, '* for the 
destruction of the flesh, that," being brought to repeutance by the 
grace of God sanctifying the afflictions wherewith he was visited, 
"his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." 3Vay, 
they were required to have " no fellowship with the unfruitful 
works" or workers "of darkness, but rather to reprove them.' 4 
*« I wrote to you," says St. Paul, " not to keep company with forni- 
cators : yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or 
with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters; for then must ye 
needs go out of the world :" As if he had said ; They surround 
you in such a manner on all hands, and are to' be found in such 
numbers in all places, that, unless you were absolutely to go out of 
the world, or to decline transacting any business, or having any 
intercourse with society in it, you cannot entirely avoid some- 
times intermixing with, and being in the company of evil doers : 
" But now," adds he, " I have written unto you not to keep com- 
pauy, if any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covet- 
ous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, 
with such an one, no, not to cat." These are sufficient evidences 
that evil-doers were not suffered to enter in, or, if through stealth 
they gained admittance, at least, not to remain in the society of 
the christians; and, therefore, that the members of that society 



* Phi!, ii, 15, 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST, 



399 



were aa innocent and harmless people. Indeed, it appears they 
were such, even by the testimony of the heathen who persecuted 
them, and sought most diligently for accusations against them, to 
justify the persecution. Pliny's letter to the emperor Trajan, to 
say nothing of other documents, is a full proof of this. This let- 
ter, at the same time that it testifies that the christians were put to 
death, acknowledges also, " that they bound themselves by an 
oath (or mutual covenant) to allow themselves in no crime or immo- 
ral conduct whatever.' 1 But, 

2dly, They were a useful sect. Their Master had been con- 
tinually employed in " going about doing good," and had exhorted 
and enjoined all his disciples to follow his example in this particu- 
lar, as far as they had ability and opportunity. " Let your light 
so shine before men," were his words, " that they may see your 
good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." "Be ye 
merciful, as your Father in heaven is merciful ;" " bless even those 
that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those 
that despitefully use and persecute you." " !Love even your ene- 
mies r do good and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward 
shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest : For he 
is kind unto the unthankful and the evil." These, and such like 
precepts of their divine Master, rightly understood, they were care- 
ful to observe ; for it was only in the way of observing them that 
they could expect to be acknowledged and received as his disciples 
in the day of final accounts. Hence it was that the apostles and 
evangelists, and all the other pastors and teachers of the christian 
church, which then was, ceased not to exhort all the members 
thereof, even all " that had believed in God" aright, and thereby 
had laid a proper foundation for such a practice, " to be careful to 
maintain" every kind of '' good works," to "be ready for every 
good work," and " as they had opportunity, to do good unto all 
men, especially to those that were of the household of faith :" and 
" never to be weary of well doing," but to persevere, and " by- 
patient continuance therein, to- seek for glory, honour, and immor- 
tality." And as the generality of those that then professed Chris- 
tianity were in low circumstances as to this world, and, therefore, 
could not distribute " out of their abundance''' to the relief of the 
necessities of their fellow-christians, or fellow-creatures; in order, 
that never thrlcss, evcu they might be able, in this way, to comply 



400 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



with the commands of their Lord and his apostles, and do good 
to the bodies, as well as souls of men, they were directed and 
exhorted to *< labour diligently, working with their hands the thing 
that was good, that they might have to give to those that needed : 
of which conduct St. Paul set them a bright example, his hands 
u ministering to his own necessities," and to those of them that were 
with him. In which way he "showed them how, so labouring 
tbey ought to support the weak :" and to remember the words of 
the Lord Jesus, when he said, " It is more blessed to give than to 
leceive." ]NTor was this advice given, or this example set them in 
vain. The members of this sect, although every where spoken 
against, yea, *' the multitude of them that believed," were, in that 
early age of the church, "of one heart and of one soul," and went 
to such lengths in their disinterestedness and liberality to others, 
that " they said not that any of the things which they possessed 
were their own; but they had all things in common, and as many 
as were possessors of lands or houses, sold them and brought the pri- 
ces of the things sold, that distribution might be made unto every 
man according as he had need." But, 

3d!y. As they were harmless, and eminently useful; so they 
were a remarkably pious sect, living not only soberly and righ- 
teously, but godly in the present world; influenced continually by 
the fear and love of Jehovah, and "walking in his ordinances and 
commandments blameless." They spent much of their time in 
prayer and praise, in hearing and reading the word of God, in 
meditating thereon, in attending the supper of the Lord, and in other 
acts of private, social, and public worship. " They coutinued 
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking 
of bread, and in prayer ;" and not only assembled frequently in each 
others houses, but " were daily in the temple, with one accord 
praising God :" and, " whatever they did, in word or deed," it wa? 
at least their endeavour to " do all in the name of the Lord Jesu? 
giving thanks to God, even the Father, through him." 

Isor, 4thly. Was their piety separate from holiness, but they 
were consecrated, and conformed to the God they worshipped. 
They no longer " walked as the" unconverted " Gentiles" or Jew?, 
" walked in the vanity of their minds," attached to, and seeking hap- 
piness in the earth, and in earthly things, " having the understand- 
ing darkened, and being alienated from the life of God, through the 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST. 



401 



ignorance that was in them;'' — but they had learned Christ, so 
as to " put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, 
were renewed in ihe spirit of their minds, and had put on the new 
man, which, after" a resemblance of " God, is created in righteous- 
ness and true holiness." Thus, being in Christ, they were new 
creatures : old things" with them " were passed away, and all 
things were become new." They were, therefore, become " fol- 
lowers (pifttflxi, imitators) of God, as his dear children, and walk- 
ed in love, as Christ had loved them." Knowing that, when they 
were " all dead, Christ died for them all, and thereby had bought 
them with a price, and that they were not their own, it was their 
continual care and endeavour to " live to him that had died for 
them," and to W glorify God in their bodies and spirits," which they 
knew were his, and which they dedicated to, and employed for 
him from day to day. 

But, 5thly, Were they not a gloomy, morose, ill-natured, and 
melancholy sect? No: but quite the reverse. They were a kind, 
loving, friendly, affectionate, and happy people; disinterestedly 
and unweariedly pursuing, as we have seen, the good of others, 
and that, in many respects, even to the neglect of themselves; and 
benevolently and kindly sacrificing their own interest, and honour, 
and ease, and health, nay, and also their liberty and lives for the 
temporal and spiritual profit of their fellow-creatures. AH the ac- 
counts which have reached us concerning them, conspire to prove 
that this was the fact. Like their great Master and Leader, they 
' pleased not themselves," but rather denied themselves for the sake 
of others; and like St. Paul, one of their principal teachers, 
" sought not their own profit, but the profit of many, that they 
might be saved." As they were continually advised and directed, 
they had " put on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels 
of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, 
bearing with, and forgiving others, if any man had a complaint 
against any ; — and above all, they had put on love, the bond of per- 
fectness, and the peace of God ruled in their hearts," while their 
life was a life of continual thankfulness. Yea, while they " rejoi- 
ced evermore, and prayed without ceasing," they " in, and even 
for every thing, gave thanks," knowing perfectly, that " every 
thing would work for their good." Hence, they feared not death 
itself, with any slavish or tormenting fear. And why should they ? 

3 C 



402 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 

45 To them to live was Christ, and to die was gain." They were, 
therefore, " confident and willing rather to be absent," by death, 
" from the body , and present with the Lord ;" or, as the apostle 
elsewhere expresses it, " to depart and be with Christ." than to 
coLtiiiue here. Such were the principles, and such the disposition 
and conduct of the members of the sect, which was " every where 
spoken against." 

II. We come now to consider the reasons why they were " every 
where spoken against f and whether they who spoke against them, 
acted wisely, and were justified in so doing ? 

1. On this head I observe, 1st. Christ, whose prescience was 
infallible, had repeatedly and clearly foretold that his followers 
would be reproached, reviled, and persecuted; and therefore it 
was with certainty to be expected. " Remember," says he * " the 
word that I snid unto you : the servant is not greater than his Lord. 
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they 
have kept my saying, they will also keep yours. But these things 
will they do unto you, for my name's sake, because they know 
not him that sent me. If they call the Master of the house Beel- 
zebub, how much more those of his household? They will put 
you out of their synagogues: yea, the time cometh, when whoso- 
ever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these 
things will they do unto you, because they have not known the 
Father nor me." Again,f * They shall deliver you up to be 
afflicted, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations 
for my name's sake." At the same time, however, that the Lord 
Jesus forewarned them that they should meet with such usage, he 
failed not to fortify their minds against it, by such declarations and 
promises as were well adapted to support and comfort them 
under it. 

2. But why were they to be persecuted ? for what cause ? For 
I hardly need to observe, that tire predictions uttered by our 
Lord, however infallible, were not the cause why they were per- 
secuted : Nor would they have been less persecuted, if no such 
predictions had been uttered. In other words, they were not per- 
secuted because these predictions were delivered, but these predic- 

* John xv. 20. f John xxiv. 9. 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST. 



403 



lions were delivered because the Lord Jesus foreknew that they 
would be persecuted ; and that it was proper and necessary that 
they should be forewarned of these trials of their faith and patience, 
and thereby prepared to meet them. I observe, therefore, 

2dly. The heathen persecuted, because they testified, and that 
wherever they came, by word and writing, in private and public, 
boldiy and resolutely, that the gods which they worshipped were 
nogods, but either devils, or "the work of men's hands, wood and 
stone," or mere imaginary beings, that had no existence, save in 
the fancies of their worshippers. Auother reason why they per- 
secuted them was, they knew that the christian doctrine, in all its 
branches, had a direct tendency to overthrow, and, as far as it pre- 
vailed, must overthrow their superstition, polytheism, and idolatry: 
for it revealed and proclaimed one only living and true God, and 
one Mediator between God and man ; it called mankind to the 
worship of (his one God, in and through this one Mediator, by one 
Holy Spirit, and, in the most clear and express terms, prohibited 
the worship of any other being, real or imaginary, good or evil. 
Add to this, that inasmuch as their false and corrupt theology was 
interwoven with their constitution of government, in their several 
countries, and with their maxims of policy on the one hand, and 
with all their vices and pleasures on the other, wlrile it was a 
source of gain to many ; it is natural to suppose, that the religion 
of Jesus, to be erected on the ruins of this superstition and idola- 
try, would meet with the most determined opposition from all ranks 
and conditions of men. All that, like Demetrius and his silver- 
smiths, by that idolatry and image-worship, or by those festivals 
and pleasures which it supported, had their wealth or maintenance, 
with all the votaries of Bacchus, of Venus, or of Mars, or of their 
other drunken, lewd, or cruel deities, would certainly oppose and 
persecute the abettors of a religion, which, if it should prevail, 
would infallibly dry up all the sources of their wealth and plea 
sure, and leave them, perhaps, in declining years, destitute of 
a maintenance. 

3. The Jews opposed and persecuted them, because they preach- 
ed a Messiah very different from him whom their nation looked 
for. The expectations of their countrymen were full of a tempo- 
ral Messiah, who, they hoped, would appear in a state of splendour, 
power, and glory, and exalt their nation tq honour and dignity 



404 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



among the kingdoms of the earth, and raise it to a widely-extend 
ed, if not to universal empire. But this weak and despicable sect 
of christians proclaimed a Messiah that was spiritual, who pro- 
fessed to confer only spiritual blessings, and who acknowledged 
that " his kingdom was not of this world," a poor, mean, despised, 
and persecuted man, and oue who had been executed as a malefac- 
tor on a cross. This so contradicted all their preconceived ideas 
and carnal prejudices, and was in such direct opposition to all their 
worldly views and prospects, that it cannot appear strange that 
they should reproach and persecute the persons who thus robbed 
them of their hopes. 

4. The Jews, in general, were either Sadducees or Pharisees, 
The Sadducees, whose avowed sentiment it was, as we have seen, 
that there is no life after this, and who were strenuous to propa- 
gate that doctrine, hated and persecuted the christians, because 
they testified that there is an invisible, spiritual, and eternal 
world ; that the souls of men survive the death of their bodies, 
that even their bodies shall be raised again, and made incorruptible 
and immortal; and that all mankind must appear and take their 
trial before the judgment-seat of Christ. Concerning this point, 
the sacred historian gives us clear as well as authentic information. 
Acts iv. 1. we read, " As they (viz. the apostles) spake unto the 
people, the priests and captain of the temple, and the Sadducees 
came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and 
preached through Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, and they laid 
hands on them, and put them in hold uutil-the next day." Again, 
Acts v. 12 — 17. "By the hands of the apostles were many signs 
and wonders wrought among the people, and believers were added 
to the Lord : — Then the high priest rose up, and all that were with 
him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, and were filled with indig- 
nation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the 
common prison." 

5. In the meantime the Pharisees opposed and reproached theSs 
on very different grounds. According to St. Luke, (Acts xxiii.) 
their principles differed widely from those of the Sadducees- 
They confessed both that there will be a resurrection of the body, 
and that there are in existence angels and human spirits departed. 
They, therefore, did not persecute the christians for entertaining 
and propagating these sentiments :but the doctrines of gr ace were 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST. 4Q$ 



those which they chiefly hated and opposed. Being jgooriflt of 
the ipiruuHiit)', extent, aad obligation of the law of God; they 
were also unacquainted with theii own sinfulness and guilt, their 
dep.avity and weakness, in consequence of which tliey " went 
about,'' and cooti infinite pains " to establish their own righteous- 
ness, and would not submit themselves to the righteousness of 
God; nor could bear to hear that men must be saved, if saved at 
all, "by grace through faith." Hence arose their murmurings 
against Christ, in the days of his flesh, that he received sinners 
and ate with them;" and their continual efforts to prevent the 
apostles from speaking to the sinners of the heathen, in order to 
their salvation;* and their violent and outrageous exclamation 
against St. Paul, when he mentioned the commission given him 
to preach to the Gentiles, recorded Acts xxii. 21. " They 
gave him audience unto that word," says the historian, " and 
then lift up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow 
from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live." The doc- 
trine of the apostles, therefore, " That every mouth must be 
stopped, and ail the world be acknowledged guilty before God: — 
that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in God's 
sight; — that as all have sinned and come short of the glory of 
God, we can only be justified freely (^ectv) by a free gift through 
the redemption which is in Jesus Christ;" — This doctrine, I say, 
was an abomination to the ears of the self-righteous Pharisees. 
The consequence was, that while the abandoned sinners of the 
Gentiles, who formerly " had not followed after righteousness," 
having had neither thought nor care about it, " attained to righte- 
ousness, even the righteousness of faith ;" these Pharisees, " who had 
followed after the law of righteousness, did not attain to the law of 
righteousness;" and that for the evident reason the apostle as- 
signs ; " they sought it not by faith, but by the works of the law, 
stumbling at that stumbling-stone, as it is written, Behold, I lay in 
Zion a stumbling-stone, and rock of offence, and whosoever believ- 
eth on him shall not be ashamed." 

6. It must be acknowledged, however, that it was not any mat- 
ter of doctrine which was the sole, if even the principal cause of 
the enmity of the Pharisees and Sadducees among the Jews, or of 



* I These, ii. 34-~16. 



406 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



the Gentiles against this sect. There was another, and (perhaps I 
ma} say ; yet more powerful cause of this opposition, and that was, 
the lives ol these christians differed much from, and were a conti- 
nual reproach to their lives. The christians were temperate and 
chaste; but their persecutors were generally drunken and de- 
bauched: the christians were true and just in all their dealings; 
the Jews and ihe Heathen were, in general, false, perfidious, and 
fraudulent. The christians, as they had opportunity, did good 
unto all men ; but their enemies did evil to many. The christians 
lived in the fear and love of the only-living and true God, regarded 
his all-seeing eye, revered his majesty, confided in his mercy 3 
praised him for his benefits, submitted to his dispensations, obeyed 
his commands, and lived to his glory : but those that reviled them, 
on ihe other hand, either denied his very being, and were, in every 
sense, without God (a&eoi, atheists) in the world, which was the 
case with the heathen; or, if Jews, their faith in him was dead, 
and did not produce any good fruit. They profaned his sabbaths, 
slighted his ordinances, disobeyed his laws, and trampled under 
foot his authority. Nay, as the apostle testifies. " The name of 
God was blasphemed" through their ungodly, unrighteous, and 
wicked conduct, " amon* the Gentiles." On this account, neither 
Jews nor Gentiles could bear these christians, because their lives 
were a continual reproof of their ungodliness, unrighteousness, and 
intemperance. Add to this, that the christians went still further. 
They not only, like Noah of old, " condemned the world," by 
their conduct; but like him, they were also all, more or less, 
"preachers of righteousness," in their generation. They bore 
testimony against the evil deeds of all among whom they lived, or 
with whom they conversed, and therefore ceased not to disturb the 
peace and quiet of every family, village, tow r n, city, or country, 
in which they resided or sojourned. And in doing this, they 
feared the face of no man, " neither co untedthey their lires dear 
unto themselves." They braved all reproach, persecution, and 
affliction, which they might meet with in the execution of this 
office: They proclaimed war against alt the world, and were only 
anxious about the word of their testimony, that they might be 
faithful to him that had called them, and to the souls of their fel- 
low-creatures. 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST. 407 

1. This brings me to the chief cause of this enmity and opposi- 
tion, and that is, the carnal mind, which is in every man by na- 
ture, and is enmity against God," and his work ; against his nature, 
his attributes, his word, his ways. In consequence of this, " they 
that are born only after the flesh," will most assuredly " persecute 
those that are born after the Spirit." And they that lie in wicked- 
ness," or as the Greek, ev ra 7rovnp&>, means the wicked one," and 
are under his influence, will, in this, as in every thing else, do 
his will and perform his work. " If the world hate you, (said 
Jesus,f) ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye 
were of the world, the world would love its own : But,, because 
ye are not of the world, but, I have chosen you out of the world, 
therefore the world hateth you." AH this is fctill but too appli- 
cable to the carnal part of mankind, and to the opposition they 
still make to the genuine followers of Jesus, even to all that, like 
him, are not of the world. Observe this well, my brethren, and see 
that none of you be influenced by their spirit, or imitate their ex- 
ample in this particular. For if, as was also proposed, 

8. We inquire, whether those persons who spoke against, and 
persecuted this sect of the Nazarenes, at the head of which was 
Jesus of Nazareth, and a " ringleader" in which was St. Paul, 
acted wisely, and were justified in so doing, we shall be compelled 
to acknowledge, that they did not act wisely, and cannot be justi- 
fied in such a conduct. For they either spoke against these chris- 
tians ignorantly, as probably many of the heathen did, not being 
acquainted with their principles and conduct ; or, which was cer- 
tainly the case with many of the Jews, whether Pharisees or Sad- 
ducees, they reproached them notwithstanding, and in spite of 
their better knowledge. Now, in either case, they were highly to 
bJame, and, indeed, without excuse. If they persecuted the Chris- 
tians ignorantly, they were inexcusable, because they might easily 
have obtaiued true and full information concerning them, if they 
would have endeavoured to obtain it, which it was certainly their 
duty to do. The Christians were become a numerous body of 
people. Many of them were persons of learning and influence, 
and were in offices of civil trust in the countries were they resided. 
They openly professed to believe in, and ground their faith upon 



* John xv. 18. 



408 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



very extraordinary facts, on wonderful miracles wrought by a very 
extraordinary person, who, they affirmed, had risen from the 
dead, and had ascended into heaven, in the sight of many of them. 
They boldly and continually bore testimony to these things, and 
taught publicly in places of concourse. They published books in 
different languages, and these books were open to the inspection of 
mankind. They themselves confirmed, or professed to confirm 
their testimony, by divers extraordinary operations, giving sight to 
the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, health to the sick, 
and even life to the dead. They suddenly spoke, or professed to 
speak languages which they had never learned, and predicted 
events which, they testified, afterwards came exactly to pass. Kone 
of these thiogs were done in a corner. They were open to the 
examination of mankind; and surely they were of such impor- 
tance as to merit, and even demand, examination. They, there- 
fore, that spoke against them ignorantly, were without excuse. 
Every circumstance shows, thai it was the indispensable duty of 
mankind, in every country which the Christians visited, or in 
which they were found, to inquire diligently into the principles 
and conduct of this extraordinary and rapidly increasing sect. 

§. But, there is reason to believe, that many, if not the greater 
part of those among the Jews, at least who spake against this peo- 
ple, did it in contradiction to their better knowledge. The 
doctrine, life, and miracles of Jesus had been so public ; such pro- 
digies had attended his death, there had been such accumulated 
evidence of his resurrection : and his disciples were persons of such 
unblemished lives, and were endowed with such extraordinary pow- 
ers, that many of the Jews, especially those who had been specta- 
tors of these things, could not be ignorant of the doctrine or practice 
of the christians, nor that they had the countenance of heaven. 
They, therefore, in speaking against, and persecuting them, must 
have been influenced by a high degree of malice against God and 
his people, and therefore, must have been more guilty, than if, like 
St. Paul in his unconverted state, they had done these things "igno- 
rantly in unbelief." Their sin, it seems, must have, at least, bor- 
dered upon that charged by Christ himself upon the Pharisees. I 
mean the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. For that sin, 
according to the evangelists, consisted in their ascribing, contrary, 
it seems, to their better knowledge, the miracles wrought by the 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST. 



409 



Holy Ghost, to the devil, and, on that ground, rejecting Jesus, as 
one possessed of, and assisted by, the devil. JNTow, as miracles were 
commonly wrought in the apostolic age, and that in the face of 
multitudes, and as the operations and fruits of the Holy Spirit were 
very apparent in the doctrine and lives of the first christians ia 
general, they who, contrary to the conviction of their own minds, 
maligned and reproached them, certainly did, more or less, malign 
and reproach that Spirit, which, at that time, " wrought so migh- 
tily in those that believed." 

III. 1. But, (which will bring me, 3dly, to an application of what 
I have advanced,) it will be inquired here, " What is all this to us ? 
What concern have we in these things ? We do not speak against, 
nor are we opposed to christians, nor do we disapprove of their 
principles or practice." In answer to this, I observe, I sincerely 
hope, my brethren, that you do not ; but on the contrary, that you 
cordially approve of Christianity itself, and desire it may be exem- 
plified in yourselves, and in every inhabitant of your village. If 
so, you and we, who this day open this chapel, and who together 
worship the one living and true God therein, through the mediation 
of his Son, and by the aid of his Spirit, shall be quite agreed, and 
shall act in perfect harmony. For we open it for the one sole end 
of promoting the progress of this Christianity ; of spreading the 
knowledge of, and faith in, such doctrines, as, it has this day been 
shown, the first christians held and propagated ! and of iuculca- 
*ing such a practice as that for which they were so conspicuous. 

2. It is allowed, my brethren, that, in places like this, where the 
people called Methodists are but little known, and where few that 
are connected with us reside, a very different idea may be enter- 
tained of us, in consequence of the idle reports, which, however 
void of foundation, arid destitute of truth, are but too generally and 
Industriously propagated concerning us. You may, perhaps, have 
heard, and some of you may have believed, that we are Heretics, 
or Schismatics ; that we hold very erroneous opinions, which we 
industriously propagate, and that we have nothing in view but to 
draw people away from the established church, or from other com- 
munities of christians, and to raise a sect or party for ourselves : 
that we have sinister and unworthy ends in view, such as gaining 
money, and enriching ourselves at the expense of those whom wc 

" 3 D 



41 Q THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 

can draw over to our party. Perhaps you have eveo heard it in- 
sinuated, that we are enemies to our king and country, and are 
employed in secretly undermining that excellent constitution of 
government under which we live. In answer to all this, I shall 
no w content myself with observiug, that none can possibly form any 
such judgment of us, who have, although but occasionally, heard 
us preach, or have read, with any attention, although but a part of 
the various writings which are coutinually circulated among us, and 
which certainly manifest what kind of principles we wish to propa- 
gate. These writings, it is Aveli known, are chiefly those of the 
late Rev. John and Charles Wesley, and John Fletcher, than 
whom his majesty never had, nor, perhaps, will have, more loyal 
subjects, nor the real church of England t ruer friends. Nor do I 
think we can be viewed in that light, by any that have seen and 
ce^dered the minutes of our year!) conferences, which conferen- 
ce;: have been held, and the minutes of them published annually 
since the year 1 744, that is, during a period of almost sixty years ; 
or who have attended, were it only to the rules of our societies, the 
observance pf which, especially in all their great and leading points, 
is the tf rm of communion with us. 

3. You will easily see, my brethren, that it would not be possi- 
ble, at this time, to enter upon the proof of what I advance respect- 
ing our doctrine and praciice. After having already detained you, 
perhaps, much too long, it would be, indeed, quite unseasonable 
to enter upon so large a field. Suffice it to say, that, in delineating 
the doctrine and practice of the first christians, in the former part 
of this discourse, I did no more than describe the doctrine which 
we firmly believe, and the practice which we wish daily to copy in 
our conversation and behaviour, with the exception of one single 
point, in which we are not convinced that we are called to imitate 
them, and that is, respecting the having all things in common. As 
to all other points, such as their harmtessness, their usefulness^ 
their piety, their holiness, it is our continual study and endeavour 
to follow them as far as we conceive they followed Christ. But, if 
you will be at the pains of reading our writings, particularly the 
Sermons and Journals of the late Rev. John Wesley, or his "Ap- 
peals to Mm of Reason and Religion," or some of his smaller 
tracts, such as " The Principles of a Methodist," " The Character 
of a Methodist," " The Nature and Design of Christianity," or r 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST, 



411 



book I have lately compiled and published, termed, "An Apology 
for the people called Methodists," in which you will see clearly 
stated, "the Chig'n and Progress, Doctrine, Discipline, and 
Designs" of this people, for 1 will not call them a sect,) so gene- 
rally spoken against, you will gain sufficient information to enable 
you to form a true judgment concerning us . 

4. Or, if this should be too much trouble, if you will be pleased to 
attend here, or at any of our other chapels in town or country, a few 
times, you will ea=ily learn the nature and tendency of the doctrine 
which we preach. And if you will observe, with an unprejudiced 
mind, the evident chan e wrought in the spirit and conduct of those 
that receive our doctrine, and become members of our society, you 
will receive still further satisfaction : for I hope that the same effects 
will be produced here, as have been produced elsewhere, by the 
divine blessing, upon our preaching and labours. I trust that, in 
many instances, the drunkards will become sober; the lewd, 
chaste : the false and perfidious, true and just iu all their dealings ; 
the covetous aud hard-hearted, liberal, compassionate, and kind: 
the idle and slothful, the lukewarm and negligent, diligent in busi- 
ness, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord ; that the proianers of the 
day and name of the Lord, and the neglecters of divine worship, 
will be rendered devout and pious, "fearing an oath," aud " re- 
membering the sabbath-day to keep it holy," and "not forsaking 
the assembling of themselves together, as the manner of too many 
is." If you will then be pleased to pursue such a method as this, 
and, methinks. I am not unreasonable in requesting you to pursue it, 
I doubt not but you will see sufficient reason, if not to unite with 
us in christian fellowship and assist us in our endeavours to reform 
the nation, and spread genuine, scriptural Christianity through the 
land ; yet, at least, to entertain a favourable opinion both of our 
principles and designs, and to wish us good luck in the name of the 
Lord. This, we certainly think, we are entitled to, conceiving our 
doctrine to be, in every point, the very doctrine of the New Testa- 
ment, and of our church, and that whoever objects to it, must also 
object to that of the scriptures and of the church of England. 

If we are mistaken in these views, we shall be exceedingly obli- 
ged to any individual, or number of individuals, that will be at 
the trouble of showing us our mistake. For if we were convinced 
4 hat our doctrine is unscriptural in any point, we certainly should 



412 THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF THE SECT 



alter it. And as to our practice, suffice it to say, that it is a first 
principle in our dicipline, to admit into, and retain, in our socie- 
ties, only such as attend to, at least, the three leading points con- 
tained in our Rules, 1st. To shun all known sin, especially the sins 
most commonly practised in the neighbourhood where they live ; 
2dly. To endeavour to do good to men's souls and bodies according 
to their abilities : and, 3dly, To attend upon all the ordinances of 
God, or means of grace, both public and private. If you say, 
" But this is your own account of yourselves. Would you have 
us to take all you are pleased to affirm for granted ?" I answer, 
No : I would not have you take any thing for granted. Only take 
the steps I have recommended, and you will see with your own 
eyes, and have all the evidence you can reasonably expect or de- 
sire, as to these points. 

5. But, perhaps, you will say, Why do you come hither? Why 
do you intrude into our village ? I answer, with the same views, 
and on the same design wherewith we go to other places, and 
wherewith our blessed Lord, his apostles, evangelists, and first 
disciples, went to different towns and villages, and that is, simply 
and only, to spread true and genuine Christianity : — to promote, as 
far as we are able, the kingdom of God on earth, that kingdom, 
that vital and genuine religion, which is " righteousness, peace, 
and joy in the Holy Ghost; or love, the end of the commandment, 
out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned." 
This, and only this is our object. Lesser matters, such as those 
which respect points of unessential doctrine, modes of worship, 
forms of church- goverment, and other circumstantials of religion, 
are, with us, of little importance. But the Christianity described 
above appears to us of infinite moment, and therefore, we labour 
to diffuse it far and wide; and we doubt not but we shall be justi- 
fied in so doing, and even commended by ail that understand its 
nature, and are apprised of what infinite consequence it is to 
mankind. As to those io whose eyes it appears as a trivial and 
unimportant matter, and who, therefore, must consider our seal in 
its service as enthusiasm, and our labours and sufferings to promote 
it, as folly and madness, we would recommend them to weigh well 
the following inquiry of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews: 
" If the word spoken by angels," the law delivered from Sinai, by 
their ministry, " was steadfast, and every transgression" of that 



EVERY WHERE SPOKEN AGAINST 



413 



law, and act of " disobedience" to it, " received a just recompense 
of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, 
which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was con- 
firmed unto us by those that heard him ; God also bearing witness 
with signs, and wouders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the 
Holy Ghost, according to his will." 

As for us, when we consider how much superior the Son of God, 
the immediate Author of the gospel, was to Moses, the giver of 
the law, and with how much greater apparatus of grace and mercy, 
and more illustrious displays of love and power, the christian cove- 
nant was introduced, than those wherewith the Jewish was attend- 
ed : When we reflect on the incarnation, life, and dt.-ath ; the doc- 
trine and miracles, the resurrection and ascension of the Lord 
Jesus, and the astonishing effusion of his Spirit, in gifts and graces, 
on the first christians, with the amazing displays of divine power 
for the propagation and defence o' this religion in early ages, and 
the signal vengeance that came on the Jews and other nations that 
rejected or slighted it, we cannot but see that Christianity is infi- 
nitely dear to God. and that, speaking after the manner of men, he 
has its progress infinitely at heart. Whatever others do, there- 
fore, we dare not think lightly of, or neglect it ; we dare not prefer 
other things to it. We consider it as our indispensable and princi- 
pal duty, and chief interest in life, to attend to it, and that above 
every thing else in the world, and to take care both that we be 
christians ourselves, and that not in name only, but in deed and in 
truth, and also that we be "workers together with God,' 1 in endea- 
vouring to make as many other christians as possible. May the 
Lord grant that in this, as well as in every thing else that is excel- 
lent and praiseworthy, you may be like-minded with us, that 
when Christ " shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty 
angels," and shall recompense tribulation to such as trouble his 
people, he may impart to you, with us, and as many as are spoken 
•jgainst and troubled, rest in his eternal presence and kingdom I 



SERMON XIX 



PREACHED AT THE OPENING OF THE METHODIST CHAPEL. 
AT NEWBURY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1804. 



We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and 
unto the Greeks foolishness ; but unto (hem who are called, both 
Jews an(l Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of 
God. 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. 

i. It is generally koowo, that both Jews and Gentiles were in- 
volved in a most deplorable state of ignorance and depravity, when 
the apostles and other messengers of the Lord Jesus, were first 
sent to publish to them the glad tidings of salvation. And it is ac- 
knowledged, that an amazing change took place among them, in 
consequence of the preaching of these divinely-commissioned ser- 
vants of the Most High: that in a little time, the knowledge of 
the true God, and of his will, was diffused through the whole 
Roman empire, and even far beyond its utmost limits; so that the 
minds of thousands and myriads of the lost race of Adam were 
effectually enlightened, their manners reformed, nay. and their 
souls renewed after the divine image. Now, when these things 



416 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



are considered, and when it is observed, withal, that human nature 
is the same in every age, and that it is probable the doctrine which 
is instrumental in enlighteuing, reforming, and renewing mankind 
in one age, must, if clearly and fully declared, and attended 
with the divine blessing, have a similar influence in every other ; 
it surely must appear to be of the greatest importance to know the 
nature of that doctrine which was productive of such happy effects 
in ancient times. For that, undoubtedly, is the doctrine which 
ought still to be preached in preference to all others. 

2. Again: As it does not appear probable, considering that man 
is a free agent, endowed with liberty of choice and action, and ca- 
pable of disobeying the heavenly call, that this doctrine would be 
received with equal credit and affection by all individuals, to 
whom it was proposed ; and as it is true, in fact, that it was not; 
but was opposed and ridiculed by many, while the abettors and 
propagators of it were persecuted, imprisoned, and put to death ; 
it must appear to be of some moment to know the character of the 
persons who thus rejected the counsel of God against themselves^ 
and ill-treated his servants ; and on what ground, and under what 
pretence they pursued such a line of conduct. This, ou the one 
hand, may operate as a caution and preservative to us, that we may 
not imitate their unbelief and sin, and so share in their punishment 5 
and, on the other, may prevent the preachers and friends of the 
truth from being surprised, discouraged, or offended, when they 
find that their doctrine does not meet with the welcome reception 
they expected, but that, instead of being acknowledged and em - 
braced as the truth of God, it is denied and persecuted as error 
and delusion. 

3. Now, concerning all these things, my text, considered in con- 
nexion with the context, gives us sufficient information. Christ 
sent me not to baptise, says the apostle, verse ) 7. that is, not chiefly 
and primarily, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words 
" those philosophical niceties of expression," says Dr. Doddridge,* 
c< or that laboured rhetoric, which many are so ready to esteem, 5 ' 
lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect* should be 
" deprived of its just honours, and so be enervated." For the 
preaching of the cross, is to them that perish foolishness : " they 



* See his Family Expositor 



AT NEWBURY 



417 



*hiok it a ridiculous and mean thing to expect salvation from one 
who seemed unable to save himself, and gioiy from one that expired 
in ignominy :" but unto us who are saved, who are delivered tv from 
the contagion of so wicked an age, and are in the way to ever- 
lasting salvation " it is the power of God, is accompanied with a 
most illustrious display of his power tor "the noblest purposes 
our minds can conceive/' For, (verse 2 \.) after that, in the wis- 
dom, of God, discernible in his works of creation aud providence, 
the world by wisdom knew not God, so as to glorify him as God, 
but " run into the wildest, and most absurd sentiments that can be 
imagined concerning him, ,, it pleased God by the foolishness of 
preaching, as they think fit to style it, and "which is, indeed, 
destitute of that kind of wibdom of which they boast," to save 
them that, with honest simplicity of heart, believe wfiat is credibly 
testified to them, and taught by a superior authority. For the 
Jews require a sign, some token from heaven, to introduce a Mes- 
siah to appear w ith external pomp, and to establish a temporal 
kingdom, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, a depth of philosophy, 
or the ornaments of eloquence, as inducements to believe. "But 
we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and 
unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them who are called, both 
Jews aud Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of 
God." 

In these words, we have, 

I. The doctrine which the apostles preached, and which their 
successors in the ministry, in every age, must preach, if they wish 
to be instrumental in reforming and saving mankind. We preach 
Christ crucified. 

II. The reception which this doctrine met with, arid which, in 
every age will attend it, from certain descriptions of mankind, 
whether professors of the true religion, or profane : To the Jews a 
stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness. 

III. The light in which this doctrine is viewed by ail that obey 
the call of God, and are made his people, of whatever name or 
nation, and the effect it has upon them: But unto them that are 

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418 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the poiver of God, and the 
wisdom of God. 

I. We must consider the doctrine of the apostles, as here set 
forth. 

1. IV e preach Christ. Christ was the great subject of their 
preaching : and not Socrates, nor Plato, nor Aristotle, nor Tully, 
nor Seneca, nor Epictetus, nor any other of the heathen Philoso- 
phers and Moralists. It was not the practice of the apostles, nor 
of the other first messengers of Christ, as it is of many teachers 
of Christianity in our day, to extol the wisdom or virtue of these 
ancient heahens; to retail their opinions, inculcate their precepts, 
or hold them forth as patterns tor imitation. Much less did they* 
ground the doctrine which they preached on their fallible authori- 
ty, cr draw their information and knowledge from the scanty sour- 
ces of unenlighte ed reason : but they preached Christ. It was 
their desire and endeavour to extol Him, to expound His doctrines, 
enforce His precepts, and hold H m forth as an example to be 
imita^i. To His authority they appealed for the truth of their 
doctrine, and from His divine wisdom, as from an exuberant and 
pure fouutain, they derived those streams of truth and grace where- 
with they watered and refreshed the dry, disconsolate, and barren 
earth, and rendered it fruitful to his praise and glory. And here- 
in, my brethren, I trust, they will be constantly imitated by all 
who, from time to time, shall hereafter address you from this 
pulpit. 

2. Nay, the apostles not only made Christ the chief subject of 
their preaching, but even of their study and conversation. '* I 
am determined," says Paul, to thf-se very Corinthians, to know 
nothing among you save Jesi?s Christ, ar.d him crucified." As if 
he had said, " Famed as your city is for Arts and Sciences, Polite- 
ness and Learning ; for Philosophers, Logicians, Historians, Poets, 
Musicians, Painters. Statuaries, and learned men of every descrip- 
tion; I waive all admiration of them, all attention to them, and 
acquaintance with them : nay, I will not so much as be at the trou- 
ble to inspect their works; I will know nothing comparatively, 
even among you, renowned as you are for kno Iedgp of every 
kind but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Tn this also, my bre- 
fhren, I trust your ministers do, and will follow his example. 



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3. To be more particular. This declaration of the apostle* 
* We preach Christ crucified," mast not be construed to mean, that 
they oid not preach him in any office or character, save in tint of 
a suffering and dying Savi ur. They preached him in all his of- 
fices: and, 1st, as a Teacher come from God, and that with an ex- 
traordinary commission, and with qualifications and attestations 
such as no other messenger of God to man ever had or will have. 
They proclaimed him to be, " The seed of the woman," that 
" bruises the serpent's head " The seed of Abraham, in whom 
all nations of the ean h shall be blessed :" The Shiloh of Jacob, 
" to whom the gathering of the people shall be," and the Prophet 
like unto Moses, concerning whom it is announced,* " Unto him 
shall ye hearken : — and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall 
not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I 
will require it of him." They preached him as the *' Servant 
and Elect of Jehovah, in whom his soul delighteth," and "on 
whom he put his Spirit ; the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 
the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of 
the fear of the Lord," or of true and genuine religion: who, 
being filled with that Spirit, " brought forth judgment to the Gen- 
tiles," yea, 44 set judgment in the earth," and for " whose law the 
isles wait :" commissioned by Jehovah himself as his own Messiah 
or Anointed One : '• Thus saith God, the Lord, he that created the 
heavens, and stretched them out ; he that spread forth the earth, 
and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath to the peo- 
ple upon it, and spirit to them that dwell therein : I the Lord have 
called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will 
keep thee, and give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light to 
the Geut'les; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from 
the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house." 
So qualified was he, according to their testimony, even as man, 
that he had the Spirit of God without measure, as indeed had 
been foretold by divine inspiration: "God, even thy God, hath 

i anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows:" a pre- 
diction, the accomplishment of which was witnessed by his fore- 

j runner John, when he said, " God giveth not the Spirit by mea- 
sure unto him." Nay, they proclaimed him as the Wisdom and 

j Word of God incarnate, the Wisdom of God, and Power of God, 

* Deut. xviii. 15—19. 

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ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



as God manifest in the flesh, and Immanuel, God with us. I hope 
all who shall here address you iu his Name, will be careful to 
speak of him io the same scriptural ai;d important language. 

4. Again, they preached him as so attested, that by him, and 
even through the instrumentality ot his messengers, the blind re- 
ceived their sight, the dumb their speech, the deaf their hearing, 
the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, and the dead raised: 
yea, they bore witness, that his own body was brough: back from 
the dead, and that the divine seal was so set to the truth of his 
word, that many of the predictions which he uttered, were punc- 
tually fulfilled before the eyes of those that heard him utter them. 
They, therefore, represented his doctrine as no way doubtful, but 
infallibly certain, sealed with the blood of Christ crucified, con- 
firmed by his resurrection, and attested by prophecies fulfilled, and 
miracles many and mighty. They exhibited it also, as deeply im- 
portant, giving us information iu subjects of the utmost conse- 
quence to us; as concerning ourselves, what we are, whence we 
came, and whither we are going : our siate by nature, and the 
state we are or may be brought into by grace : respecting God, his 
being and attributes; his nature, word, and works; what he is in 
himself, and what he is to mankind in general, and to his own peo- 
ple in particular; the Mediator between God a:d man; his person 
and offices, his incarnation, life, aud death ; his resurrection, ascen- 
sion, and intercession at God s right hand; his humiliation and ex- 
altation, his cross and crown, his grace and alory. This doctrine, 
they testified, gives us information also concerning the way of sal- 
vation through this Mediator, and that will of God to which we 
must be conformed here, if we would reigu with him hereafter : 
concerning earth, heaven; this world, the next; time, eternity; 
the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body; the con- 
flagration and dissolution of this whole visible system of things ; 
the future judgment, aud the eternal state ! No wonder Christ was 
crucified to sanction such doctrine as this! And the very same 
doctrine, I doubt not, will frequently be sounding in your ears in 
this place, which we this day dedicate to this important purpose. 

5. Further: This declaration, We preach Christ crucified, does 
not imply, that they omitted to preach him as a pattern whom we 
are to imitate. It is certain, 2dly, they bore witness to what he 



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did, as well as to what he taught, as St. Luke speaks;* to his life 
as well as to h.s doctrine, yea, aud to ihe Spirit ia which he acted, 
"setting us an example, that we should follow his steps."f " Let 
that mind be in >ou,"" they cried, "which was also in Christ Je- 
sus/ \ 44 He that saith he abideth in him,'"' they testified, " ought 
himself also so to walk, even as he walked." 

"Brethren, be ye followers of us," they exhorted, "as we also 
are of Christ.' § And in what degree they were followers or imi- 
tators of him we are sufficiently informed, when we^ear them de- 
clare, "As he was, so are we in this world;" and when we attend 
to their solemn and important testimony, that all those who would 
"see him as he is," and resemble him in glory, must here "pu- 
rify themselves as he is pure.' 1 Holding him forth, therefore, 
as an harmless, iisful, holy, perfect, and familiar example, and 
setting this mark before their hearers, they exhorted aud urged 
them all to aspire alter it, declaring, " God hath predestinated us to 
be conformed to the image of his Son ;" and that an expectation 
of dwelling with him after we die, without being conformed to him 
while we live, is a vain expectation. This, my brethren, is another 
branch of that (doctrine, which you may expect frequently to hear 
in this Chapel. 

6. Add to this, 3dly, The Apostles preached Christ as the 
Governor and Judge of his people. They proclaimed him as the 
V King God hath bet upon his holy hill of Zion," to whom all must 
be subject on earth, that would reign with him in heaven: who 
" died, and rose, and liveth, that he might be Lord of the dead 
and of the living;" who, "when all were dead died for all, that 
they who live," who are quickened by his death, aud made alive 
to God, yea, and that all mankind, universally, being thus quick- 
ened, " might not live unto themselves, but unto him that died for 
them, and rose again." They preached him as the 44 one lawgiver 
able to save and to destroy," and as " the author of eternal salva- 
tion only to those that obey him." And they announced him as 
the universal Judge, who, when he is " revealed from heaven, with 
his mighty angels, will take vengeance on them that knoAV not God, 
and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ;" while, to 
" those who do his commandments, he grants a right to the tree of 

* Acts i 1, f 1 Pet, ii. SI. % Phil ii. 5. § 1 Cor. xi. 1. and Phil. iii. 17 



422 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



life : so that they enter in through the gates into the city."' I as? 
persuaded, my brethren, that in these offices and characters also, 
the Lord Jesus will be exhibited to such as attend here on the mi- 
nistry of the word. 

7. But, 4thly, the apostles considered mankind as lost sinners, 
immersed in guilt and wretchedness, and, therefore, especially 
preached Christ as a Saviour, crucified for our sins. They 
preached a suffering Messiah, " growing up before Jehovah as a 
tender plantj§and as a root out of a dry ground; having no form 
nor comeliness, and no beauty " externally, " that men," who gene- 
rally judge only by ouhvard appearance, " should desire him f* 
" despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted 
with grief ;" as " a worm and no man, a reproach of men, and de- 
spised of the people." He gave his bad," they said, " to the 
smiters, and his cheeks to those that plucked off the hair; and hid 
not his face from shame and spitting." He was "stricken," they 
testified, " smitten of God, and afflicted ;" " bore our griefs, and 
carried our sorrows ; with a visage more marred than that of any 
man, and a form more than the'" form of any of the 41 sons of 
men." He was "led," they declared, " as a Iamb to the slaughter, 
and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb ; so opened he not 
his mouth : 4 ' He was Ci bruised, put to grief, and cut off out of 
the land of the living, although he had done no violence, neither 
was any deceit in his mouth ;" c; cut off, but not for himself," " num- 
bered with transgressors, and poured out bis soul unto death," 
in company with the wicked. These, and such like things, were 
predicted concerning him, and these things the apostles bore wit- 
ness that he endured. And testimony will be given, I am well as- 
sured, very frequently to these, and all the sufferings of the Mes- 
siah, as a very important branch of christian doctrine, by such as 
are appointed to preach the gospel to you in this place. 

8. Again : They testified that he endured these sufferings for us ; 
to atone for, and expiate our sins. "He was wounded,*' they 
affirmed, «' for our transgressions: he was bruised for our iniqui- 
ties: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his 
stripes we are healed." " All we, like sheep," they declared, " have 
gone astray : we have turned every one to his own way ; and 
the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all." Yea, <c it pleased 
the Lord," they said, " to bruise him," to put " him to grief," to 



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strike him " for the transgression of his people," and " make his 
soul an offeriog for sin." They deliverered unto their hearers 
"first of all," as a leading and most important truth, "that which 
they also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to 
the scriptures :" # that " he suffered for sins, the just for the un- 
just,! that he might bring us to God:" that "he was delivered for 
our offences," that he might atone for them, " and raised again for our 
justification," in proof that his atoning sacrifice was accepted : 
was made sin, (or a sin-offering, as the word in the original fre- 
quently means,) for us, though he knew no sin, that he might be 
made the righteousness of God," or might be justified and account- 
ed righteous by God, " in or through him." 

9. Nay, the apostles not only asserted the doctrine of the 
atonement, and, like the ancient prophets, bore testimony to the 
truth and importance of it, but also explained the reason and foun- 
dation of it. " God," said St. Paul,j: " hath set him forth to be a 
propitiation,'' tXocmgtev, a propitiatory, or mercy-s-at, where mer- 
cy may be found in a way consistent with justice, (alluding to the 
mercj-seat of old,) "through faith in his blood, to declare his righ- 
teousness, for the remission of sins that are past, through the for- 
bearance of God." A more exact translation of the Greek of this 
passage, renders the Apostle's meaning still more clear : His words 
are, e/s ev^Vff <v rvjt; ^iKcctoTvvr^ ecvja, £ta rtjv ^rxpsa-tv rm Trpoyeyovorav 
apctpfafietlav cv rtj ccvo%ij m S-ex, which words are thus literally trans- 
lated, For a demonstration of his righteousness, because ( or on ac- 
count) of the passing by of sms, committed aforetime, through the 
forbearance of God. God, it must be observed, in his great forbear- 
ance had, as it were, overlooked and passed by the sins committed in 
former ages of the world, not having punished them in such a man- 
ner as to give a full and perfect display of his righteousness, or of 
his holiness and justice, and of the equity of his moral government. 
It is true, he had brought a flood of waters upon the old world : 
had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the 
plain, with fire from heaven, had caused the earth to open her 
mouth and swallow up Korah and his company, had executed most 
strange and terrible judgments upon the sinuers of his people, in the 
wilderness, upon Pharaoh and his host in Egypt, and at the Red 



1 Cor. xv. 1,-4- f 1 P^. iii. 18, J Rom. iii. 25, 26, 



424 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



Sea, and upon the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan, of Baby log ? 
and of other countries. Still however, his hatred to, and his indig- 
Dation again9t sin, had not been fully and clearly manifested : nor 
was it thus manifested till his sword awoke against his Shepherd, 
and against the man that was his fellow; till the Shepherd was smit- 
ten for the iniquities of the sheep, and his soul was made an offering 
for sin. Then, and not before, by such a sacrifice for sin, was sin 
fully and adequately " condemned in the flesh," even in the very 
human nature that had sinned, and God demonstrated himself to 
be as just as he is merciful. " For a demonstration," adds the 
Apostle, ' • of his righteousness, ei ru wv xxipu, in the present time" 
here set in opposition to the past time, in which God had forborn 
to give such a demonstration, "that he might be," and appear to 
his whole intelligent creation, to be u just" that is, holy and righ- 
teous, while, in his mercy, he is " the Justifier of him that believeth 
in Jesus." So that, according to the Apostle the grand end of the 
crucifixion of Christ, was to demonstrate the Righteousness of God, 
and to provide for the justification and salvation of guilty sinners, 
upon their repentance, in a way that is consistent with the divine 
attributes. This most awful, and yet encouraging doctrine, is set 
in a clear and forcible light, by our truly evangelical Poet, in the 
following most sublime passage. 

" Thou most indulgent, most tremendous Power ! 
" Still more tremendous for thy wondrous Love, 
" That arms, with awe more awful, thy command, 
" And foul transgression dips in seven-fold guilt ! 
" How our hearts tremble at thy Love immense ! 
" In Love immense, inviolably just! 
" Thou, rather than thy Justice should be stain'd, 
" Didst stain the cross, and work of wonders far 
" The greatest, that thy Dearest far might bleed!" 

10. Now, it is only through this sacrifice, atonemement, and 
expiation, that we have or can have redemption and justification. 
For " as all have sinned and come short of the glory of God ," as 
"every mouth is stopped, and all the world are guilty before God," 
v7ro$iKo$ ru Geo, subject to condemnation from the justice of God, or 
as Dr. Doddridge renders the words, stand convicted before God, 
none can, in the nature of things, be justified in any other way than 
by grace through faith ; or, as it is here expressed, freely by his 



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^ race, Page r« «v?» x*f>tlt gratuitously, by his unmerited favour, 
through the redemption, (tjjs a,7roXvjpa><reas, the M oid means a price 
paid for such as are to be set at liberty) that is in Jesus Christ. 
Such was the uniform testimony of the aposties, and such the prin- 
cipal use they made of the important doctrine of Christ's crucifixion. 
Through this mysterious transaction they offered free and full 
remission to the sinful and guilty race of Adam, together with the 
favour of God, adoption into his family, and every blessiug of the 
New Covenant. And they required nothing of mankind, whether 
Jews or Gentiles, in order to their partaking of these blessings, but 
" repentance towards God, and faiih in our Lord Jesus Christ" 
both which endowments they represented as the gifts of God. For, 
while they proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God that taketh away 
the si?is of the world, and testified that he hath put away sin by the 
sacrifice of himself, they bore witness also that he is exalted a 
Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and faith, as well as remis- 
sion of sins; that " he that confesseth and forsakelh his sins shall 
find mercy;" ''that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to 
forgive us our sins, and even to cleanse us from all unrighteous- 
ness." " Be it known unto you," they cried, *' men and brethren, 
that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, 
and by him all that believe," viz. with a faith working by love, 
overcoming the world, and purifying the heart, " are justified from 
all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of 
Moses." I trust that this capital doctrine of justification, which 
Luther so properly termed, " Articulus stantis vel cadentis eccle- 
siffi/' the pillar on which the church (of Christ) stands, or with 
which it falls, will never be forgotten, or neglected to be inculca- 
ted, by auy that address you from this pulpit. 

1 1 . Another thing to be observed here is, that the apostles and 
first teachers of Christianity preached Christ crucified, as laying us 
ttntler an indispensable obligation, through his crucifixion and death, 
of dying to sin, to the world, and to ourselves, and " through the Spi- 
rit, of mortifying the deeds of the body, that we may live," nndof 
" crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts." " Our old man," 
according to their doctrine, must " be crucified with him, that the 
body of sin may be destroyed; that henceforth we may not serve 
in." " Kuow ye not," they inquired, " that as many of us as were 
baptized into Jesus Christ," in consequence of our believing on 

3 F 



426 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



him, " were baptized into his death ? Therefore we are buried with 
him by baptism unto death; that like as Christ was raised from the 
dead by the glory," or glorious power, "of the Father, we also 
shouid walk in newness of life; and being dead unto sin might live 
umo righteousness." " Let not sin, thereiore," urged they, '* reign 
in your mortal body, that you should fulfil it in the lusts thereof : 
neither yield your members as instrument* of unrighteousness unto 
si: : but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from 
the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto 
God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not 
under the law, but under grace." Such was the holiness of heart 
and iife which they considered the crucifixion of Christ, and justi- 
fication through his blood, as laying us under an obligation of 
experiencing in ourselves, through that holy Spirit which is the 
fruit of Christ's death and passion, and of manifesting to others. 
And this grand, essential, aud distinguishing doctrine of the gospel, 
I am fully persuaded, will be faithfully and frequently enforced 
here from time to time. 

12. One thing more I must beg leave to notice under this head. 
They preached Christ crucified, as our leader in the way of the 
cross, showing us by his sufferings, that we must suffer if we would 
reign. " Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh," 
says one of them,* M arm yourselves likewise with the same mind," 
the same self-denying, courageous, and determined mind : expect 
sufferings, and be armed with fortitude and patience to meet and 
endure them. " For this is thankworthy, if a man, for conscience 
towards God, endure grief, suffering wrongfully, for even hereunto 
are ye called ; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an 
example that we should follow his steps:" should, like him, give 
no cause for our sufferings, being innocent of the things laid to our 
charge by our enemies ; should nevertheless suffer, in some mea- 
sure, as he did, and that in the same spirit of patience, meekness, 
and love : "who did no sin ; neither was guile found in his mouth : 
who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he 
threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgetb righ- 
teously ."f St. Peter enlarges much on the same subject in the two 
next chapters of his short epistle, in passages which you will do 



* 1 Pet. iv. 1. 



+ 1 Pet. ii. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 



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■well to consult at your leisure, as they set this very important 
doctrine in a most clear and convincing point of view. And it is 
well kno»\o, that this apostle was not singular in his ideas on this 
head. St. Paul speaks exacuy the same language. " If children," 
says he to the Romans,* " then heirs, heirs of God. and joint- 
heirs with Christ : if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be 
also glorified together;" and again to Timothy ,f "It is a faithful 
saying," a saying as true as it is important, but a saying which 
many will be slow of heart to believe, " if we die with him, we 
shall also live with him : if we suffer with him, we shall reiga 
with him ; ' if," to avoid suffering, ' w we deny him, he also will deny 
us. if we believe not" this doctrine, acid are regardless of the 
consequences of our cowardice, effeminacy, and love of ease and 
pleasure, 44 he abkleth faithful," and will fulfil his threateniags as 
well as his promises, for " he cannot deny himself." 

13. Sucli was the doctrine of the apostles of our Lord and 
Saviour, who, in the days of their flesh, were all witnes es of the 
stifferings of Christ, as they now are, and shall hereafter more 
especially be, "partakers of the glory that shall be revealed," 
This was that cross of Christ in which they gloried : their divine 
Master had suffered death on a cross to expiate their sins, and 
while they relied on his sacrifice, for justification before God, they 
were not unwilling to have <4 fellow ship with him in his sufferings," 
or even to be "conformed to his death." " I am ready,*' said St. 
Paul, " not only to suffer, but to die at Jerusalem for the sake of 
the Lord Jesus." And certainly all mauner of sufferings, and, at 
last, death itself, fell to the lot of most of them. " We are troubled 
on every side," said they, "yet not distressed," (or utterly over- 
pressed, as s-evoxagyftevot means, the word properly signifying 
crushed in a strait passage,) * we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
persecuted, but not Ibrsaken ; cast down, but not destroyed ; always 
bearing about with us. in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus ;" 
the cruelties which were exercised in putting him to death, being 
acted over again upo i them by the rage of their persecutors. But 
w none of these thi ;»s moved them, neither counted they their lives 
dear unto themselves; so th^t they misht finish their course with 
joy, and the ministiy which they had received of the Lord Jesus 



* Rom. viii. 17 



t -2Tim.ii. 11, 12 



428 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Nay, they " took pleasure 
in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distress- 
es for Christ's sake.'' Hear how St. Paul speaks on this subject,* 
" Are they ministers of Christ ? (alluding to those whom, verse 1 3, he 
terms " false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into 
apostles of Christ,") I am more : in labours more abundant, ia 
stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of 
the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was 
I beaten with rods ; once was I stoned ; thrice I suffered shipwreck ; 
a night and a day I have been in the deep : in journeyings often ; 
in perils of waters; — of robbers, — by my own countrymen, — by 
the heathen, — in the city, — in the wilderness,- — in the sea, — among 
false brethren ■ in weariness and painfulness; in watchings often : in 
hunger and thirst ; in fastings often ; in cold and nakedness. — If I 
must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern my in- 
firmities : The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is 
blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not." Thus these men 
of God were so far from being ashamed of the cross of Christ, that 
they gloried in it, and found it an happy mean of *< crucifying them 
to the ATorld, and the world to them." 

14. In the meantime, their care was to prove themselves to be Ms 
genuine disciples, not only by what they suffered, but also and 
especially by the spirit in which they suffered. Accordingly, while 
they " hungered and thirsted, were naked and buffeted, had no cer- 
tain dwelling-place, and laboured, working with their hands; being- 
reviled, they blessed; being persecuted, they meekly suffered it: 
being defamed, they entreated and though made as the filth of 
the world and the offscouring of all things continually, they took it 
patiently. They were only concerned to ''give no offence in any 
thing, that the ministry might not be blamed : but that they might in 
all things approve themselves the miuisters of God, in much 
patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in im- 
prisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by 
pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy 
Ghost," enabling them to heal the sick and raise the dead, and in- 
spiring them with gifts and graces, " by love unfeigned, by the word 
of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on 



* 2 Cor.xi. 23—31. 



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429 



the right hand arid on the left; by honour and dishonour; by evil 
report and good report: asdeeeivers, and yet true; as unknown, and 
yet well known; as dying, and behold, they lived; as chastened, and 
not killed; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making 
many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." Such 
were the ancient servants and followers of Christ crucified: and al- 
though it is probable we shall not be called to endure such sufferings 
as fell to their lot; yet, in every age, especially while " the whole 
world thus lieth in wickedness,"' such as are only " born after the 
flesh w 11 persecute those who are born after the Spirit," and, " they 
that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution." Let 
us, my brethren, who speak in the name of God, and preach Christ 
crucified, not fail to give our hearers faithful warning on this head, 
that being forewarned, they may be forearmed, and, with fortitude 
and resolution, may be prepared to meet all those trials of their 
faith and patience, with which God may see fit to exercise them. 

II. We proceed now to the consideration of the second princi- 
pal branch of our subject, The reception which this doctrine met 
with, and which in every age it will meet with, from certain descrip- 
tions of maukind, whether professors of the true religion or profane: 
" To the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness." 

The Jews were the professing people of God, and for ages, had 
been the members of his visible Church : The Greeks, who here 
stand for the Gentiles in general, at least for the more polished and 
learned of them, were, and had long been heathens and idolaters. 
These two appellations may be here considered as comprehending 
the whole civilized world except the christians. 

1. The Jews, although the posterity of Abraham, and the other 
ancient patriarchs, who had conducted themselves " as strangers 
and pilgrims on earth, seeking a better country, that is, a heaven- 
ly;" although desirous of being thought their genuiue children, and 
the inheritors of their faith ; and although favoured with the ora- 
cles of God, which bear a clear and convincing testimony to the 
vanity, uncertainty, and short duration of every earthly object, and 
call men to a spiritual and heavenly mind ; — yet, I say, the Jews 
were a worldly people, attached to, and eager in the pursuit of 
riches, onour, power, and pleasure. In correspondence with their 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



views, and to gratify their wishes, they were encouraged by teach- 
ers as worldly as themselves, to expect a mere temporal Messiah, 
who was to deliver them from the Romao yoke, and lead ihem to 
conquest, wealth, and dominion. To them, therefore, the testimony 
borue by the apostles, to a poor, despised, persecuted, and suffer- 
ing Messiah, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, whose reputed fa- 
ther, mother, and brethren, they knew to be of mean rauk in 
life, was a stumbling-block, and an insuperable obstacle in the way 
of their embracing Christianity. And yet all the descriptions given 
in the Old Testament, of the first coming of the Messiah, accorded 
perfectly with this testimony of the apostles. And, what is still 
more remarkable, these very same divine oracles, in which they were 
" confident they had eternal life," proceeded so far as even to fore- 
tell that the Messiah, when he came, should be a stumbling-block to 
that people, and be despised and rejected by them. " Sanctify the 
Lord of Hosts himself," said isaiah, "and let him be your fear, and 
let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary ; but for 
a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence to both the houses of 
Israel ; for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 
And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and 
be snared and taken :" A prediction this confirmed by old Simeon, 
when he blessed Joseph and Mary, and the child Jesus, and said, 
"Behold, this child is set for the fall, and rising again of many in 
Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against."* And the ac- 
complishment of it is attested both by St. Peter and St. Paul, who 
equally apply it to Christ.f The Jews, therefore, in their stum- 
bling at, and rejecting their true Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, be- 
cause of his poverty and mean appearance, exactly fulfilled the pre- 
dictions of their own prophets. Their carnal hearts being enmity 
against God, would not suffer them to acknowledge one so poor and 
despised for the Christ, which, indeed, would have blasted all their 
worldly views and expectations. They persevered, therefore, in 
their plan of opposition to, and enmity against him, till they had 
succeeded in cutting him off. After which they persisted to re- 
proach his name and memory, and to persecute his followers; term- 
ing him, in derision, ^Sn, The Man that was hanged, that is, on the 
rross, and his disciples 'ibn Hay, The disciples of the Crucified. And, 

* Luke ii. 34. f 1 Pet. ii. 4-— 9. Rom. ix. 32, 33. 



AT NEWBURY 



431 



by a malignant playing on words, called the Gospel, jSj JW, A reve- 
lation oj vanity, alluding to $vxyye*iov, the Greek word tor Gospel.* 
2. The Jew r s were divided into two great sects, Pharisee* and 
Sadducee.s.f The Pharisees were very exact in their observation 
ol all the precepts of the ritual law, and ol the traditions of the 
elders. They paid tithe of mint, auise. and cummin : kept the 
Saboath rigorously, were careful not to eat with unwashea hands, 
"made clean the outside ol the tup and platter," and had the whole 
form of godliness. But being utterly ignorant of the spirituality 
and extent of the moral iaw, a id of their own sinfulness a d guilt; 
their depravity, weakness, and misery; they were only righteous 
in their own estimation, and not in reality. They " went about," 
and took infinite pains <k to establish their own righteousness," not 
"submitting themselves to the righteousness of God."' They would 
not yield to accept of justification in the way which God had ap- 
pointed, the way of faith in Jesus of Nazareth, as the only Saviour. 
They were, therefore, still in their sins, under guilt, condemnation, 
and wrath; and before God, who searcheth the heart, and observes 
the principle from which, and the spirit in which every one acts, 
were but as H whited walls" and " painted sepulchres." To them 
the doctrine of the apostles respecting Christ being crucified for our 
sins, atoning for them, putting them away-, and justifying us by his 
blood, with their whole testimony concerning justification and salva- 
tion by grace through faith, was a stumbling-block, aud an obstruc- 
tion in the way of their becoming Christ's disciples. Thus Paul, 
referring chiefly to this class of Jews, and contrasting their conduct 
in rejecting Jesus and his gospel, with that of the believing Gentiles, 
who received him, expresses himself as follows. " What shall we 
say then ? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness," 
having lived from age to age in utter neglect of it, and in all man- 
ner of vice and wickedness, "have attained to righteousness, even 
the righteousness which is of faith ?" They believed in that Jesus, 
as a Saviour, wheu he was offered to them, whom the Jews reject- 
ed, and thus were justified, or accounted righteous, by faith. " But 
Israel," adds he, " who followed after the law of righteousness, 

* See Leigh's Critiea Sacra, and Doddridge's Family Expositor, 
f The Sect of the Essenes was so inconsiderable that it is hardly worth no- 
tieing. 



432 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore. ? Be- 
cause they sought it not by faith, but.as it were, by the works of 
the law : for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone : as it is written, 
Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling-stone, and rock of offence, and 
whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." And have we 
not many among us, in the present day, who are of the same spirit ? 
many who, like these Jews, " have zeal for God, but not according to 
knowledge? who, being ignorant of God's righteousness," both of 
the holiness of his nature, and of his method of justifying sinners, 
are only intent on "establishing their own righteousness,''' as the 
ground of their acceptance with God? These, instead of approach- 
ing God with the publican's petition, " God be merciful to me a 
sinner !" are rather disposed to thank him, with the Pharisee, " that 
they are not as other men," and to glory in themselves, and not in 
the Lord. Take care, my brethren, that none of you be of this 
number. 

3. The Sadducees were Infidels and Libertines. They neither 
acknowledged the immortality of the soul, nor the resurrection of 
the body. Of course, disbelieving a future state altogether, and 
supposing this life to be the whole of man's existence, they consi- 
dered sensual pleasure as his chief good. Jesus of Nazareth, the 
Wisdom and Word of God incarnate, bringing "life and immortality 
to light;" declaring, that even they who kill the body, cannot kill 
the soul : That the moment men's bodies die, their souls are in tor- 
ment, or in happiness : That He is " the resurrection and the life :" 
And that those "who believe in him, although they die, yet shall 
live ;" shall " hear his voice, and come forth ' out of their graves : 
That when 44 he shall come in his glory, and all his holy angels 
with him, seated on the throne of his glory, before him shall be ga- 
thered all nations, and that he shall separate them one from ano- 
ther, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats :" — This 
teacher, I say, and this testimony, so directly opposed to all their 
preconceived ideas and opinions, were stumbling-blocks to them, 
and bars in the way of their faith in the gospel. They had assured 
themselves so fully, that " there is no resurrection, neither angel, 
nor spirit," nor judgment to come, that they were determined to re- 
ceive no one for the Messiah, who should propagate any such enthu- 
siasrical doctrine; nor countenance any teacher, who gave intima- 
tion of any such fanciful notioiis; for fanciful they esteemed them. 



AT NEWBURY 



438 



Hence their avowed enmity, as we learn from the Acts of the Apos- 
tles, to those witnesses of Jesus, who bore testimony to his resurrec- 
tion, and a future state of rewards and punishments. " As they 
(the Apostles,) spake to the people," says the historian,* " The 
priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came 
upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preach- 
ed, througli Jesus, the resurrection of the dead." And again,j 
" Then the high-priest rose up, and all they that were with him, 
(which is the sect of the Sadducees,) aud were filled with indigna- 
tion, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the 
common prison."" 

4. Further: It was another and still greater stumbling-block to 
fhese Sadducees, to understand that the doctrine of Christ cruci- 
fied included a testimony to the indispensable obligation which man- 
kind, redeemed by his blood, are under to crucify the flesh with 
its affections and lusts ; to die to sin, to the world, and to them- 
selves, and to become holy, spiritual, and divine. These were 
hard sayings indeed, and insuperable obstacles in the way of their 
embracing the new religion. And are they not hard sayiugs still 
lo all infidels and freethinkers ? nay, and to all the unawakened 
and unregenerate ; to " the earthly and sensual," and even to as 
many as are " lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God ?" Add 
to this, that the testimony of the apostles respecting the necessity of 
having '-fellowship with Christ in his sufferings," and " being con- 
formed to his death;" or, in other words, that all his true and ge- 
nuine disciples must deny themselves, and take up their cross, and 
follow him through sufferiogs to glory, being prepared, if called to 
it, to seal his truth with their blood, and not only to suffer, but 
even to die for his sake. — This doctriue, I say, was in a higher 
sense still a stumbling-block to both Pharisees and Sadducees, 
Even those of them who partly believed the gospel, made this, as 
«re find from the epistle to the Galatians, an objection to their re- 
iinquishing Judaism, and embraciDg pure and genuine Christianity; 
: hey were afraid of " suffering persecution for the cross of Christ." 
And is not the fear of reproach and persecution, in our time, one 
very principal reason why many disown the truth, and stand aloof 
from its steady and consistent professors ? Let us all be on our 



* Acta iv. 1. f Acts v. 17 
3 Cj 



434 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



guard, my brethren, lest we should be found among those fearful 
ones, spoken of in the Revelation by St. John, those timid and cow- 
ardly disciples of Jesus, if such can be termed his disciples, who 
prefer their property, or character, or liberty, or life, to the Lord 
Jesus, and that truth which he sealed with his blood, and who, 
therefore, « shall have their portion in the lake that burnetii with 
lire and brimstone." Let us remember, and lay to heart, the awful 
and important declaration of our suffering and crucified Master : 
H He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of 
me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not wor- 
thy of me: and he that taketh not up his cross, and folio weth not 
after me," that does not prepare, if the will of God be so, even to 
die like me upon a cross, ' is not worthy of me :" for " except a 
man forsake even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." 

5. To proceed: That doctrine concerning Christ crucified, which 
was to the Jews a stumbling-block, was to the Greeks foolishness. 
The Greeks, in general, were great admirers of wisdom, of the depths 
of philosophy, and the charms of eloquence. By them the simple 
unadorned preaching of the apostles, was viewed as foolishness. 
The apostles, in their doctrine, attended only to truth and facts, 
waiving all the studied forms and ornaments of speech. Their 
preaching, as appears from the context, from other parts of their 
epistles, and from those abridgments of their discourses contained 
in *« The Acts of the Apostles," was chiefly historical : It consisted 
of a plain relation of certain important matters of fact, to which 
1hey bore testimony, and of obvious inferences drawn from them. 
They affirmed : That a poor, despised, and persecuted man, 
who had lived and taught publicly in Judea, confirming his doc- 
trine by an holy life, and by great miracles, had been crucified 
for men's sins, to procure pardon for them, had risen from the 
dead, and ascended into heaven, and was now at the right-hand 
of God making intercession. This story, told without " wisdom 
of words," and recommended by no elegance of language, nor 
embellishments of diction, was foolishness to these vain, and self- 
conceited Greeks, as containing nothing they admired neither 
depth of reasoning, nor subtilty of argument, nor flowers of rhe- 
toric. And on the same ground many of the admirers of philoso- 
phical knowledge, of the refinements of science, and ornaments of 
discourse, now object to and despise the simple, plain, and practi- 



AT NEWBTRY 435 

eal preaching of those ministers of the Lord Jesus, who bear an 
unadorned, but true testimony to the genuine and infinitely moment- 
ous doctrines of his gospel 

6. Again. To worship ** a crucified malefactor" or impostor, 
(as they deemed Christ,) and to depend for salvation on one that was 
hanged on a tree, and who, as they thought, could not save him- 
self, seemed foolishness to them. " They account us mad, saith 
Justine Martyr, that after the immutable and eternal God, the 
Father of all things, we give the second place to a man that was 
crucified." " It is wicked and abominable," saith Celsus. " The 
wise men of the world insult over us," saith St. Austin ; (and is 
it not the practice of such still ?) " and ask, ' Where is your un- 
derstanding, who worship for a God him that was crucified.' "* 
Lucian also, it is well known, profanely insults the Christians on 
this account;f and many of the ancient Fathers of the Christian 
church speak of the same reproach as being cast upon them by 
the heathen. It has been said, and according to Archbishop Til- 
lotson,£ uot without foundation, that the Jesuits who were sent 
as missionaries into China, when preaching to the Chinese, con- 
cealed this branch of christian doctrine, that they might avoid 
giving offeuce ; denied that Christ was crucified, and represented 
it as an invention of the Jews to asperse Christianity. No wonder 
they had not success ! For it is the cross of Christ that subdues 
the nations, according to the vision which Constantine is said to 
have had, (when marching towards Rome, to attack Maxentius,) 
of a cross in the air, with this inscription : Hac vince : i. e. in 
this conquer.^ Let us, my brethren, who speak in the name of 
the Lord, not forget this. Let us not expect to conquer either the 

* Dr. Whitby on the passage. f See Doddridge's Note here. 
% See Tillotson's Works, Vol. II. p. 284. 

§ " The doubts concerning the Miraculous Cross, that Constantine 
solemnly declared he had seen in the air, are many and considerable. 
It is easy, indeed, to refute the opinion of those, who look upon this 
prodigy as a fiction invented by the emperor to animate his troops, or 
who consider the narration as wholly fabulous. The sentiment, also, 
of those who imagine that this cross was no more than a natural pheno- 
menon, is more ingenious than solid. Yet it is not certain, that the divine 
power interposed to confirm the wavering faith of Constantine. Most proba- 
bly, it was presented to the emperor in a dream." 

Moshkim, Abridged by Mr. Wesley, p. 152. 



436 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



world or sin, whether in ourselves or others ,• but in and by the 
cross of Christ. 

7. Again : The doctrine of justification and salvation by the me- 
rit of another, and merely by believing in him, was deemed foolish- 
ness by these vain and self-sufficient philosophers of Greece, who 
entertained an high opinion of their own moral virtue, and imagined 
that their goodness conld, strictly speaking, merit, and would ensure 
the favour and approbation of their gods, and an high degree of fu- 
ture felicity. And, in this particular, they are but too closely fol- 
lowed, in the present day, by all the self-dependent and self-righteous 
professors of Christianity. Equally foolish did some sects among 
them, especially the Epicureans, judge that branch of gospel doc- 
trine which inculcates the necessity of denying our appetites, pas- 
sions, and carnal desires. For these, they contended, are implanted 
in our nature by its Author, in order to their being gratified, and 
that to refuse to indulge them, is, in fact, to oppose God and nature. 
And have not the libertines and votaries of pleasure, of every age 
and nation, always been of their mind ? I shall only add on this 
head, that the apostolic testimony respecting the reproach and per- 
secution which, in all ages, accompany genuine piety and virtue, was 
also foolishness to these wise and honourable men of the world, 
whose good name and reputation were their idols, and whose opinion 
was, that religion and virtue are the sure way to worldly honour 
and prosperity. And in this point, also, they are imitated by all 
who are of the same worldly spirit, in whatever countiy, even 
although they may profess Christianity. 

III. Very different, however, (and this is the third and last topic 
we have to discuss,) is the light in which this doctrine is viewed by 
all that obey the call of God, and are made his people ; and very 
different is the effect which it has upon them. But "unto them that 
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the Power of God, and the 
Wisdom of God." 

1. Those that believed and obeyed the gospel were frequently 
termed The Called, by the Evangelists and Apostles. Thus, Ro- 
mans i. 6. speaking of " obedience to the faith among all nations 
for the name of Christ," St. Paul adds, « Among whom are ye also 
(at Rome,) the called of Jesus Christ." In the 8th chapter he ob- 
serves, <( AH things shall work for good to them that love God, to 



AT NEWBURY. 



437 



Jiem that are, ot kmIu, the called according to his purpose." He 
speaks of the Corinthians, in this chapter, as " called to be saints/' 
and of the Thessalonians, as " called by the gospel." In this last-men- 
tioned passage,* the Apostle explains this matter. 9 We are bound 
to give tiianks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, 
because God hath, from the beginning, chosen you to salvation, 
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth : Where- 
unto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of 
our Lord Jesus Christ." Mankind are called to repentance, to 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and to new obedience by the gos- 
pel : or, as it is here expressed, to " the sanctification of the Spirit, 
and belief of the truth." That they may attend to, and obey this 
call of the gospel, God adds the call of his Providence and of his 
Spirit. His kind, superintending, and watchful Providence, dispen- 
ses sickness or health, honour or dishonour, prosperity or adversi- 
ty, according as he knows any cf these things is most adapted to 
bring men to the knowledge of his truth, and the experience of his 
love. His Spirit, also, co-operates with his Providence and his 
Word ; opens the eyes of our understanding, gives spiritual dis- 
cernment, inclines the will, draws the affections, regenerates the 
soul, and produces M a death to sin, and a new-birth to righteous- 
ness." Thus are we made obedient to the heavenly call, and an- 
swer the character which the Apostles give of the called, in their 
Epistles. 

2. Now, to these, that same doctrine concerning Christ crucified, 
which was "to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks fool- 
ishness," is the Wisdom of God, and the Power of God" They esteem 
it as an infinitely wise contrivance of God for the salvation of a lost 
world, and calculated to display his divine Wisdom, as well as Good- 
ness, beyond any system of philosophy that was ever invented. Iu 
this scheme of redemption and salvation, they see that all the divine 
attributes are glorified, and act in sweet harmony to accomplish 
man's restoration to the divine favour and likeness : That Mercy 
and Truth meet together; Righteousness and Peace kiss each 
other :" That, while the guilty, weak, and wretched posterity of fall- 
en Adam are saved, God's holy law is magnified, and the rights 
of his moral government asserted. 



2 Thess. ii. 13, 14 



438 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



Thus Dr. Youog,-^- 

" O'er guilt, how mountainous ! with out-stretch'd arms. 
Stern justice, and soft smiling love embrace, 
Supporting in full majesty thy throne, 
When seem'd its majesty to need support ! 
Or That, or Man inevitably lost : 
What but the fathomless of thought divine. 
Could labour such expedient from despair, 
And rescue both ? Both rescue ! Both exalt ! 
O how are both exalted by the deed ! 
The wondrous deed! or, shall I call it morer 
A wonder in omnipotence itself! 
A mystery no less to gods* than men !" 

3. But not only is the redemption of mankind, by the crucifixioi; 
of Christ, an astonishing contrivance and display of divine Wis- 
dom, but it is also a source from which knowledge and wisdom are 
derived to us. Hereby we are made acquainted with the great 
evil of sin, its odious nature and destructive consequences, together 
with our own extreme sinfulness and guilt, which were so great as 
absolutely to preclude our salvation, unless our sins were expiated 
by the sacrifice of the Son of God. Here we learn, on the one hand, 
the holiness and justice of God, and are taught to stand in awe, and 
not sin, and on the other his mercy and grace, in order that, not- 
withstanding all our past transgressions, and present infirmities, we 
may "trust"" in him for pardon and peace, being reconciled in 
Christ, " and not be afraid." And, above all, here we are enligh- 
tened to know the great love that he hath to us, and are enabled to 
<c love him who hath first loved us," and to cast our care on him 
for all we want for time and for eternity ; arguing, with the Apos- 
tle, ' k He that spared not his own Son, but freely delivered him up for 
us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things ?" Words 
these, which are well paraphrased by the author of the JSTight 
Thoughts, where he observes : 

" To Man the bleeding Cross hath promis'd all ! 
The bleeding Cross hath sworn eternal grace : 
Who gave his Son, what gift shall he deny ?" 

Thus, by the doctrine of the Cross, Ave are instructed in matters of 
the greatest possible importance to us ; and become " children of the 

* Angels. 



AT NEWBURY. 439 

li£ht and of the day." We are no longer " foolish, disobedient, de- 
ceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, and living ;n malice and 
envy but are made wise unto salvation, present and eternal : We 
Answer the end of our creation, and glorify God on earth, and at 
last are brought to enjoj him in heaven. For, 
! 4. That same doctrine, which is to " them that are called, whe- 
ther Jews or Greeks," whether ignorant or learned, "the wisdom of 
God/' is also unto them, the power of God. "They view the mis- 
sion of Christ," says Dr. Doddridge, "and the great truths of his 
gospel, confirmed by miraculous evidence, and the accomplishment 
of prophecy, as far more important than any event which their car- 
nal brethren expect." Indeed, every thing relatiug to the Messiah, 
his incarnation, life, miracles, death, resurrection, ascension, session 
at God's right hand, with his dominion over all nature, and the 
universe of creatures; — all display the infinite Power as well as 
Wisdom of God. But, perhaps, the apostle spoke here partly, at 
least, with a reference to the Power of God exerted, to make the 
Jews and Gentiles obedient to the faith, "in word and deed, through 
mighty signs and wonders, by the influence of the Spirit of God."* 
Indeed, not only the Apostles who preached Christ crucified, wit- 
nessed the confirmation of their doctrine by the divine power in sun- 
dry miracles ; but even those who believed in him, through their 
testimouy, found their own faith confirmed by a similar seal. These 
signs, according to the prediction of Christ, " followed them that 
believed. In the name of Christ they cast out devils; they spake 
with new tongues, they took up serpents : If they drank any deadly 
thing, it did not hurt them, and when they laid their hands on the 
sick, they recovered."! These were illustrious displays of that 
power of God which sanctioned the preaching of Christ crucified, 
and the faith of such as were called thereby. For while " they 
went forth, and preached every where, the Lord wrought with 
them, and confirmed the word by signs following." 

5. Nor was it only by external signs and wonders that the Lord 
confirmed this blessed doctrine ; but also and especially by mira- 
cles of mercy wrought for and upon the souls of men. In this re- 
spect also the Lord wrought with them : He gave efficacy to the 
Word of his Grace, and made the gospel which they preached, the 



* Rom. xv. 18, 70. 



t Markxvi.17, 18. 



440 



ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH 



powerful mean of salvation to every one that believed and obeysd 
it. It ''came unto them, not in word only, but also in power, 
and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." It opened tbe 
blind eyes, unstopped the deaf ears, and loosed the dumb tongue, 
It «' proclaimed liberty to the captives"' of sin, " the opening if 
the prison to them that were bound" by their lusts and vices, aol 
was instrumental in *' binding up sucli as were bruised." Bj 
means of it the sick in sin were healed, and the dead in sin madt 
alive. Yea, they " were quickened, and raised up, and made 
to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus." They were assured 
of the favour of God, stamped with his image, and introduced in- 
to a state of friendship and communion with him. Being " begot- 
ten by this Word of Truth ; being " born again of this incorrupti- 
ble seed," they were constituted the children of God, not only by 
adoption, but also by regeneration, and " made a kind of first- 
fruits of his creatures," dedicated to, and employed in his service; 
and conformed, in all things, to his holy will. 

6. It was " the power of God unto their salvation from sin 
and its consequences. By faith in the doctrine of Christ crucified, 
they were "blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things, 
and in heavenly places :" They had "redemption through his blood 
the forgiveness of their sins; were made accepted through him the 
Beloved," and were rendered " holy and without blame before 
him in love." jNay, " his exceeding great power towards them 
that believed," so renewed them in the spirit of their minds, and 
transformed them from an earthly and sensual, to an heavenly and 
divine temper, that their ** conversation was in heaven, and their 
44 life hid with Christ in God." They were "tilled with joy 
and peace in believing, abounded in hope by the power of the 
Holy Ghost," and "dwelling in love, dwelt in God and God in 
them." They enjoyed, therefore, an heaven on earth. They 
anticipated their future felicity. For having received a title to it 
in their justification, and a meetness for it in their regeneration 
and sanctification, they also enjoyed a pledge, earnest^ and foretastr 
of it in the experimental knowledge and love of God, and in fel- 
lowship with him ,* it being " life eternal to know" and have com- 
munion with " the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath 
sent." This knowledge and privilege, through feith in a crucified 
"Redeemer, (hey possessed, and thereby had within them that 



AT NEWBERY. 



441 



c< well of water, which is to spring up to life eternal," when the 
grace of the saints shall issue in glory. 

7. And now, my brethren, as the very same are the spiritual et- 
fscts of the gospel in every age and nation, in which it is truly 
and properly received ; as it always has been, and still is, " the 
power of God unto salyation to every one that believeth ; I should 
surely be guilty of a great Gmission of duty, if I were not to add., 
protracted as my discourse has already been, a few words by way 
of application of what has been advanced. I call upon you there- 
fore, to examine yourselves touching your experience in these im- 
portant matters. In what light do you view, and in what spirit 
do you receive this doctrine of " Christ crucified ?" And what 
effect has it upon you ? Is it a stumbling-block to you, as it was 
to the Jews ? or do you, with the Greeks, consider it as foolishness ? 
^Notwithstanding that you have, it may be, often attentively heard 
it, does it not leave you in ignorance and sin, in guilt and wretch- 
edness ? Or, being truly and effectually called, and brought to 
experience repentance unto life, and saving faith through it, is it 
to you the wisdom of God and the power of God? Do you discern 
and acknowledge the most manifest traces of diviue, yea, of in- 
finite wisdom and power, in this wonderful dispensation ? And 
are you enlightened and renewed by it ? Are you, who " were 
once darkness, made hereby light in the Lord ?" Are you 
si made a people who were not a people ? and have you obtained 
mercy who had not obtained mercy ?"* Although you were formerly 
"dead in sin, and in the uncircumcision of your hearts, 1 ' has he 
" quickened you, and raised you up, through faith of his divine 
operation, having forgiveu you all trespasses ?" Are you " washed, 
justified, and sanctified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and 
by the Spirit of our God ?" " washed in the laver of regeneration ; 
renewed by the renewing (power) of the Holy Ghost, and being 
justified by grace, made heirs, according to the hope of eternal 
life?' ! These, my brethren, are questions infinitely momentous, 
and it concerns you ail. more than I can describe, to be able to 
answer them in the affirmative. In the affirmative you will soon 
he able to answer them, if you receive in faith aud love, the tes- 
timony that is and will be borne here, concerning Christ crucified, 
and " obey from the heart the form of doctrine which," from this 

Epb. v. 8. and 1 Pet. ii. 10. f 1 Cor. vi. 11. and Tit. iii 5—7. 
3 H 



44-2 ON OPENING A NEW CHURCH AT NEWBURY 



pulpit, will be " delivered unto you." JNow may he " who was 
crucified in weakness, but who liveth by the power of God,'" 
even our Lord Jesus Christ himself, give efficacy to the word new 
spoken, " and may God our Father, who hath loved us, and given 
us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort 
your hearts, and establish you'unblameable in holiness, and fruitful 
in every good word and work. 1 ' 



F I N J & 



CONTENTS. 



SERMON I. 
Christ's Commission to his Ministers. 

Page 

Mark xvi. 15, 16. u Go ye into all the World) and preach the Gospel to 
e^erp creature: He that believeth, and is baptized, shaU be saved ; but 

he that believeth not shall be damned.''' 1 

SERMON II. 

The Nature and Design of the Gospel of Christ, and the Consequences of 

not being properly acquainted with it. 
2 Cor. to. 3. " But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost" 25 
SERMON III. 

The Devices whereby the god of this world prevents the efficacy of the Gospel . 
2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. ' ; But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; 
in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that be- 
lieve not, lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ — should shine 

unto than.'" 43 

SERMON IV. 
On the Second Coming of Christ. 
2 Thess. i. 7 — 9. " The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven, with 
his mighty J n gels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not 
God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be 
punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and 

from the glory of his power." 61 

SERMON V. 

The Character of those who shall be condemned by Christ at his coming. 
2 Thess. t. 7, 8. " Hie Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven," fyc. 77 
SERMON VI. 
The future Misery of the Wicked. 

2 Thess. i. 7—9 91 

SERMON VII. 
The second Discourse on the same Subject. 

2 Thess. i. 9 , 105 

SERMON VIII. 
On the Wisdom of winning Souls. 

Prov. xi. 30. "He that winneth Souls is wise." 121 

SERMON IX. 
On the Life and Labours of the Rev. John Wesley. 
Heb. xiii. 7. " Hemember them that had the rule over you, who spake to 
you the Word of God ; ichose Faith follow, consideinng the end of their 

Conversation." , 149 

SERMON X. 
On the true Glory of an House of God. 
Haggai ii. 9. " The Glory of this latter Hovse shall be greater than the 
former, saith tlie Lord of Hosts: And in this Place will I give Peace, 
saith the Lord of Hosts" ,,,,,,,,,,,,, 175 



CONTENTS. 

SERMON XL Page 
On the Occasion of the Death of Mrs. Foster. 

/ would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning 
them who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others, who hare no hopt, 
For if vje believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them also thai 

sleep in Jesus toill God bring with him." 195 

SERMON XII. 
On the Nature and Extent of Sanctification. 
1 Thess. v. 23, 24. " May the very God of Peace sanctify you wholly: and 
I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless 
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, 

who also toill do it" 229 

SERMON XIII. 
On the Way of attaining Sanctification. 

1 Thess, v. 23, 24 249 

SERMON XIV. 

Preached on the Occasion of the Death of Mr. Alexander Mather, on Sun- 
day, August 31, 1800, at the Chapel in Great Queen-Street, and at 
the New Chapel, City-Road, London. 
Job xix. 23 — 27. " Oh, that my words were new written! Oh, that they were 
printed in a book ! That they were graven with an iron pen, and lead, in 
the rock for ever ! For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall 

stand at thelatter day upon the earth" fyc 273 

SERMON XV. 

Preached on the Occasion of the death of the Rev. Peard Dickinson ; on 

Sunday, May 30, 1802, at the New Chapel, City-Road. 
Jer. xiv. 8. " Thehope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof in time of trouble.'''' 307 
SERMON XVI. 
On the Nativity of Christ. 
Isaiah ix. 6. " Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the go- 
vernment shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall bo called Won- 
derful, Counsellor, The 3Iighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince 

of Peace." 343 

SERMON XVII. 
On the Nativity of Christ,—- Continued. 
Isaiah ix. 7. "His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor," Sfc. 367 
SERMON XVIII. 

The Principles and Practice of the Sect every where spoken against, impar- 
tially considered, in a Discourse delivered at the Opening of the 
Methodist Chapel at Twickenham, Dec. 14, 1800. 
Acts xxviii. 22. " We desire to hear of thee what thou thinkesi: For as con- 
cerning this sect, we know that every tchere it is spoken against." 391 

SERMON XIX. 

Preached at the Opening of the Methodist Chapel, at Newbury, Sept. 19, 1804. 

1 Cor. i. 23, 24. " We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling- 
block, and unto the Greeks foolishness ; but unto them who are called, both 
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the icisdom of God" 415 



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